Akane's Dream World
by Shritistrang
Summary: Akane was imprisoned by the evil mistress of shadows... and Ranma is the only one who can save her! But how can he reach the realm of shadows?
1. Only one man can save her

Ranma opened the door to Akane's room and looked inside. When he saw her empty bed, he sighed. He just couldn't get used to the fact that she wasn't here anymore...

He would have never thought it possible, but... he missed her. He had gotten used to hear her angry voice, her reactions to his playful jokes, her cute smile that she had been showing way too rarely...

But now she was gone... and the only thing he could do about it was praying that she would return safely.

Three days ago, Akane had fallen into a deep coma... and she simply wouldn't wake up. It happened one morning after everyone else had been gotten up from bed, and Kasumi realized how late Akane was. She entered her room... and found her lying in bed... she just wouldn't wake up.

Dr. Tofu and other doctors who came over to take a look at her didn't understand the situation at all... There was simply no reason why Akane wouldn't wake up. All of her vital signs were fine, Akane was as healthy as ever...

She just wouldn't wake up...

In the end, they decided to take her to the hospital, where they could have a closer look at her. That has been three days ago, and she still wasn't home...

Ranma sat down on his fiancee's bed and picked up the little pig plushie, a present from Ryoga (perhaps for all the times he couldn't be here as P-chan...). He turned it around a few times in his hands, then he sighed again and went back down. He was feeling so... so helpless! Perhaps a little training would cheer him up...

This evening, the members of the Tendo household weren't talking much... they all were still feeling depressed because Akane wasn't with them. Ranma was thinking back to this morning, when Ukyo had asked him when Akane would finally return.

He... just wasn't able to tell her the truth. By now, he was wondering how Ucchan and Shampoo would have reacted if they found out... Would they have offered their condolences... or would they be happy because there was one fiancee less?

That evening, Ranma was going to bed early. But somehow... he couldn't find any sleep. He turned around a few times, listening to his father's snoring next to him, until he just couldn't bear it any more: He stood up and went upstairs, again into Akane's room.

When in there, he once again felt helpless... Dang... if there would just be something he could do about this whole situation...

He took a look at Akane's things... her desk, her wardrobe, everything... until his gaze fell onto a small pile of papers lying on her desk.

He picked them up. "Huh..." he mumbled. "Drawings? Heh... never thought that tomboy could draw so good..."

The first drawing showed an enormous castle rising over a big lake... the second drawing showed a mountain range behind a deep chasm... and the third drawing was a regal dragon with spread wings.

Maybe... Akane had been drawing those things when she was sitting alone in her room... every time she was feeling sad... and neither P-chan or her friends could cheer her up...

Suddenly, Ranma sensed that he wasn't alone in the room any more... He turned around... and saw someone sitting in the big rocking chair in the corner of the room.

Wait a minute... since when did Akane have a rocking chair?

Then he saw the face of the person sitting there. "Kasumi...?" he murmured. What was she doing here that late in the evening?

Strangely enough, Kasumi was dressed in a loose, white robe that made her look... wise. And somehow, an aura of peace and power seemed to surround her.

She smiled at him. "Greetings, Ranma! Do not be alarmed, I am not Akane's eldest sister... I just look like her. My name is Kasu... and I'm here because I need your help."

"Kasu, uh-huh..." Somehow, he believed her. But what was even stranger: He felt that this Kasumi-look-a-like had more power than he could imagine. "And just where do you come from... Kasu?"

"I'm from a magical kingdom, hidden within a different plane of existence... It is called... Ja'an!" She sighed and looked down at her hands while rocking. "You know... several months ago... we got a visitor from your world for the first time... it was your fiancee, Akane!"

"Akane..." Ranma wondered. His gaze fell on the drawings on her desk. "You mean... those drawings show things that actually exist?"

Kasu nodded. "Yes, Akane found the way into our realm in her dreams... and every time she felt lonely and depressed, she paid us a visit. She was finding many friends over here, although she was a little baffled at first... because so many of our residents look so much like people she knows." She giggled.

Then her face grew sad. "But then... the last time she visited us... she was being kidnapped."

Ranma gasped. "K-kidnapped? By who?"

Kasu looked at him sternly. "By Ekana... the evil mistress of the Shadow Realm!"

"T-then you must go and save her! What are you waiting for?"

Kasu sighed. "I wish we could, Ranma... I wish we could... but, no one of our kingdom is able to pass the Shadow Mountains, the barrier to Ekana's realm... only someone from your realm can do that... you're the only one who can save her! Will you do it?"

Ranma thought less than a second about it, then he nodded.

"I'll do it!" Ranma shouted without any hesitation, being the heroic person to jump into any situation without looking first that he was. "How do I get there?"

Kasu noticeably frowned at that. "Now that's something you'll have to find out for yourself..."

Blinking his eyes once, twice, all Ranma could ask was, "Huh?"

"Yes, Ranma," Kasu said as she looked up into his eyes. "The way into Ja'an differs from person to person. I can tell you it has to do with someone of this world entering a meditative state or trance..."

Considering that, Ranma asked, "So if I go to sleep...?"

"Maybe," Kasu admitted. "Maybe not..."

Ranma frowned. "Why wouldn't it?"

"Because if anyone could have found the way in their sleep, I'm sure we WOULD have had many visitors by now..." Kasu explained. "Every person is on a different mental wavelength, and so no one person should have the same 'path' to follow from this world to Ja'an."

Considering that, Ranma asked, "So how'd YOU get here?"

"Magic," Kasu answered seriously.

Visibly twitching at THAT response, Ranma slowly answered, "Okay... so can't you just use your magic voodoo on me?"

Shaking her head, Kasu again had to explain. "The magic only works for those who have already come into contact with our world. Our souls all intertwine with the great spirit of mana, the ethereal stream which encases our fair realm." She gave Ranma a sad look. "Not to mention I have an anchor."

While Ranma wasn't the brightest of people, even he understood that until he reached this Ja'an place, magic was a no-go. But... "What's this 'bout an anchor?"

Looking up at Ranma from her rocking chair, the Kasumi-look-alike continued to help Ranma understand the situation with travel. "Akane had mentioned I looked like her sister, so that gave me a 'beacon' of sorts to follow into this world. Once found I was able to 'latch' onto her and come into the general vicinity..." she then frowned as her body slowly started to glow lightly. "Oh dear... my time here is almost up."

Ranma eyes widened. "Wait! You can't go!"

"I'm sorry, Ranma," the mage of one of the royal court of Ja'an apologized sincerely. "But the magic of Ja'an can only exist within this world for a limited time, so the method I used to come here isn't as permanent as if I'd gone into a meditative state to transcend between the barriers between our worlds..." as she said that her form started to become translucent. "Remember! To reach us you must go beyond this world with your mind!" She said urgently before she disappeared completely, leaving behind glittering dust in the air where she had been.

Staring down at where she had disappeared, the pigtailed martial artist had some trouble grasping this. Not that he didn't believe her, but he was a little slow on the mental uptake thanks to the training of his youth under the 'guidance' of his old man.

It took a few moments, but Ranma was able to get an understanding. Akane had crossed over to another realm in her sleep. She'd been kidnapped there and taken to the Realm of Shadows, meaning she'd be unable to return. No one of Ja'an could pass over naturally so they needed someone who could, someone of this world.

And he'd been chosen for the job.

His eyes narrowing in determination, Ranma knew he couldn't let the tomboy down. Raising his right hand in a fist, the martial artist of the Anything Goes made a promise then and there that he'd find a way over to save Akane.

But how the hell was he going to do that!? How the hell was he going to just zone out and make his way over. Even when he was asleep, he was still active as it was engrained instinct to protect himself! He'd be on automatic, but his instincts were still going and keeping him moving.

Martial arts were out, too. Even if he went on instinct, how long could a battle last? Or Katas? Was it even safe to try that?

Damn, the only time he could ever thing of acting 'conking out' and truly being out of it was...

...

No...

Oh no...

Thinking desperately about some way, any way to truly be out of it, Ranma was hoping he could come up with some other option, any other way that could help him conk out and truly be out of it without having to resort to... THAT!

Shuddering as he realized there was NO other option, Ranma slumped his shoulders in defeat... it looked like he was going to have to bite the bullet...

Or in this case, a bite of Akane's cooking.

Leaving the youngest Tendo daughter's bedroom, Ranma made his way down the hall and down the staircase. He was trying to be quiet as to not wake up anyone in the house, but even he was having trouble concentrating. The task at hand was promising to be dangerous, but a martial artist had to be willing to sacrifice their own life for another's if need be.

Finally reaching the kitchen, Ranma went to the fridge. Opening the door, he bathed the darkened room in the light from the refrigerator and looked through. He looked through the refrigerator, looking for any leftovers. In an instant, his eyes locked on the metal tray which seemed to have a visible odor leaking out from between the aluminum tray and lid.

"That's it..." Ranma grimaced as he reached out for the tray, finding it oddly warm for something that had been in the fridge for over a week. Taking the tray over to the kitchen table, the pigtailed martial artist placed it down on the top and reached to peel open the lid. As soon as he did, he reared back as if he'd been hit as the stench hit him head-on.

Standing back to look at the disaster before him, Ranma tried to ignore the stink-cloud shaped like a skull and crossbones that came up from Akane's bubbling concoction. She'd said it had been an Italian recipe of lasagna, but the thing looked more like sewer sludge with shreds of carbonized rubber from a car tire.

Shuddering, Ranma went to the drawer to get a spoon. "The things I do for Akane..." he mumbled to himself as he went back to the 'food'. He stuck in a wooden spoon to lightly stir it. However, as soon as he took it out to get a bite, he noticed that the head of the utensil had disintegrated.

Tossing the spoon over his shoulder, Ranma once again muttered, "The things I do for Akane..." Grabbing the sides of the tray, Ranma lifted it up to his lips and tipped, trying to force himself to eat. As soon as the bilge touched his tongue, Ranma could already feel the bile rising up from his stomach but he fought it, allowing some morsels of Akane's cooking to hit the back of his throat and go down.

After a few moments, Ranma slammed the tray back down on the kitchen counter-top. He reared his head back, screaming at the intense pain he felt coursing from his stomach and outward through every single part of his body. His body spasming, he fell forward, slamming his head on the kitchen counter-top before collapsing to the floor in a twitching mess, saliva bubbling rapidly from his mouth as his eyes rolled back into his head.

* * *

"Auugh... what hit me?" Ranma groaned. While he wasn't feeling any pain now, he certainly felt groggy and nauseas. Opening his eyes slowly, Ranma shook his head to clear it of the fogginess and realized he wasn't in the Tendo Home anymore.

A small smile came to Ranma as he realized he'd made it to Ja'an, and only at the small cost of having to deal with stomach ulcers later down the road.

It was dark and gloomy, so Ranma's eyes had to get used to it first. But then he realized he was standing in the middle of a deep forest, whose branches were swaying in the chilly wind...

When he looked up, he could the the black night sky, with only a few stars and a cold moon illuminating it.

"So this is Ja'an..." he murmured after getting up from the ground and patting the dust off his clothes. "Looks a bit gloomy... but then, every forest looks kinda gloomy at night."

Just when he was going to choose a direction in which he could go, he heard the clopping of hooves approaching him.

He looked down the dirty forest path and saw a black horse that was coming his direction. On the big animal's back sat a tall man, entirely dressed in a black armor. On his side, Ranma could see the blade of a long sword.

A knight, Ranma realized. A Black Knight...

Hopefully, not all Black Knights are evil, just like in the stories...

The rider stopped his horse and looked down at Ranma, through the narrow slits within the mask of his helmet.

"Mylord, do you carry, by any chance, the name 'Ranma Saotome'?"

Ranma was on edge, but what if this knight really was a scout of the good guys?

"Yeah, I am," he finally responded. "Who are you?"

The knight dismounted from his dark steed and took off his helmet. "My name is Koan... Baron Tawakee Koan!"

Ranma stared when he saw the dark rider's face. It looked just exactly like that of Tatewaki Kuno.

Then he remembered Kasu's words, that many of Ja'ans habitants would look like people from Nerima. So, this Baron Koan had to be one of them.

Koan came a step closer. "I am here to bring you to our lady," he said.

"Did Kasu send you?" Ranma asked.

Koan seemed to hesitate a bit, then he nodded. "Our lady has ordered us to escort you to her domain, so she could welcome you accordingly."

"Us?" Ranma asked.

Koan raised his hand, and from behind the trees, many more knights in black armor were appearing. One of them was holding the reigns of another, smaller horse, that obviously was meant for Ranma.

The baron gestured towards the horse. "Please, mylord... allow us the honor of bringing you to our lady... these woods can be dangerous."

Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea, Ranma decided. Those black knights might look somewhat scary, but he wasn't really afraid. And besides, if they should really lead him into a trap, he could always fight them off. They didn't look like they were able to resist a well-placed Moko Takabisha, or even a Hiryu Shoten Ha.

So he nodded and mounted the second horse, which seemed to be pretty tame.

As soon as Ranma was sitting in the saddle, Baron Koan turned around his own steed and raised his hand. Instantly, the other knights got ready to leave.

Ranma wasn't such a good rider, but the horse was obviously well-trained... it walked quietly, without making it difficult for him.

"So, umm..." Ranma asked as he rode next to Baron Koan. "Did Kasu say anything about my fiancee? How should I rescue her?"

"I know nothing about that," the baron replied. "I was only instructed to escort you."

It didn't look like Koan wanted to tell Ranma more, so he just stayed silent and waited.

A little while later, they left the forest and stepped onto a wide, empty plain... which looked kinda bleak in the darkness of the night.

And when Ranma looked directly ahead... he saw the fortress! An enormous building made of black stone, with towers and pinnacles that reached up into the clear night sky. It was sitting atop a massive boulder of a mountain, and it looked like no force in the universe would be able to conquer its walls.

Koan gestured up to the fortress. "Yokot Fortress," he said. "There, our lady is waiting for you!"

Ranma had a bad feeling about this. This castle... it didn't look at all like the one Akane had drawn. Instead of looking majestic and magnificent, it only made the impression of being a bastion of war.

Koan seemed to notice Ranma's uneasiness, as he leaned over in his saddle and asked: "Is something the matter, mylord?"

"I don't know..." Ranma mumbled. "It's just so... different from what I expected."

"That is understandable," the baron nodded. "But keep in mind, Yokot Fortress is not a city or a royal castle... it is a fortress, a mighty stronghold against our enemies."

Ranma was ready to believe that. As he had thought before, he didn't believe that any living being would be able to take it down, no matter how many of them would come.

Silently, they continued their way and rode over the empty plains and up a narrow mountain path. Finally, they stood in front of the massive portcullis of the fortress gates.

A deep rumble seemed to come out of the earth, as the huge gate was being pulled upwards by some invisible mechanism. As soon as Ranma and his escort had entered the courtyard, it got closed again.

Ranma looked around. Everywhere, he could see people getting ready for a war. Soldiers and knights, squires and stable-lads.

A man helped Ranma dismounting his horse, and shortly after, he was being lead inside the fortress.

They were walking through long corridors and empty halls, with walls that looked like they were made of black obsidian.

And finally, Ranma stood in front of a massive double door, guarded by two of the biggest knights he had ever seen.

Koan nodded towards the door. "The lady is waiting for you, mylord. Please, enter!"

Ranma's uneasiness was growing even more when he entered the big hall behind the door, but he kept telling himself: 'I can always fight or flee, I'm one of the best martial artists in Japan...'

Koan gently pushed him forward, and Ranma approached the massive black throne in front of him.

With wide eyes, he stared at the girl sitting atop the throne, watching him with a smile.

She looked exactly like Akane. She had the face of Akane, the body of Akane and the hair of Akane.

But it wasn't Akane...

Suddenly, it all made sense to Ranma: The gloomy forest, those dark knights, the scary-looking landscape outside, and this fortress that looked out-and-out like the residence of an evil warlord...

He must have known it all the time, but for some reason, he wasn't able to make the connections... the darkness of this country has shrouded his mind like a black cloud.

"You are not Akane," he finally said.

The girl stayed silent for a moment. "That's correct," she then said. Even her voice sounded like Akane's...

Ranma took another step forward. "You're not Akane," he said again. "You're Ekana!"

The mistress of evil leaned back in her throne and grinned maliciously. "You're right, Ranma: I'm Ekana! And this is my fortress! Welcome to Na'aj... the Realm of Shadows!"


	2. Black Knights, Black Castle

The ruler of the Shadow Realm Na'aj looked down at her captive with satisfaction. "I guess you're here to save your precious Akane, are you not? Well, I may not be Akane... but I can offer you so much more... How about it? Join me, and I'll make you king after conquering the miserable country of Ja'an."

Ranma snarled at her. "You might look like Akane, but you're nothing but a selfish tomboy... and, and did I forget to tell you you're uncute?"

For a moment, it seemed like Ekana's face would turn into a grimace of anger. But then, she smiled. "Nice try, Ranma... But I'm not like Akane, you know? There is not much you can do to catch me off-guard. After all, I know you..."

"How would you know me?" Ranma snapped. "We've never met before!"

Ekana grinned. "Oh, didn't sweet Kasu tell you? Ja'an and Na'aj... those two countries are nothing but results of poor Akane's psyche. She needed a place to stay after suffering from her usual days... and the back of her mind created Ja'an, a beautiful and peaceful country full of life... and the people living there would resemble those she knew in her real life, only would they be like she imagines them deep within her conscience."

Ekana leaned back in her throne. "Oh, but you know what? A human can only stand so much days of peace until his or her mind begins to develop doubts. With doubt comes insecurity... with insecurity comes sadness... with sadness comes fear... and with fear comes anger. The perfect way to create a dark mirror image of her peaceful haven, right?"

"You want to tell me that everything here... The dark forest, those black knights, Yokot and even yourself... are just results of Akane's own fears and doubts?"

"I'm afraid it is true," the dark mistress said. "And ever since I came into existence, I wanted to have someone at my side... someone like you... to rule next to me." She stood up. "And now you've come..."

She started walking down the steps of her throne, when suddenly, Ranma jumped back and went into his battle stance. "Stand back!" he shouted. "One more move and I'll knock you out!"

Ekana just laughed. "Get him!" she commanded Koan and the other knights in the room.

Ranma turned around to face them and cupped his hands. He concentrated and...

"MOKO TAKABISHA!"

But nothing happened.

Ranma blinked as he stared at his outstretched hands. What happened? Why didn't his powerful ki attack work? What was wrong with him?

He tried fighting back as the powerful knights grabbed him, but while they seemed to flinch under his kicks and punches, they obviously lacked the true power they should have.

When the knights had secured Ranma and pulled him in front of their mistress, she smiled down at him. "Poor Ranma... My, what happened to your precious ki?" She chuckled. "You fool... Na'aj, as well as Ja'an, is a spiritual realm. While everything you see and feel here seems to have a corporeal form, you cannot affect it like you can back in your world. Remember? You left your body back there. And with it, the ki that you need to perform your infamous attacks... Oh, you could become a powerful fighter if you learn to train your mind... but until then, you won't stand a chance against my knights."

She raised a black wand that was tipped with multiple spikes and a ruby. "Watch closely, Ranma... THIS is the force that rules our world. Not ki... but magic!" And she thrusted her wand forward, shooting out a bolt of black lightning that zapped right into Ranma's body, making him scream in pain.

Ekana walked back to her throne and sat down. "Throw him into the dungeon... We will continue our little conversation later, Ranma. And I hope for your sake that you are a little more reasonable then... for your and Akane's sake!" She gestured to the door with her wand. "Take him away!"

* * *

Ranma was sitting on the cold floor within his cell, curling his body into a ball. Now what should he do? Why didn't Kasu tell him about this? If he wasn't able to control his ki, and his strength here was only equal to his mental abilities... how would he be able to save Akane?

He didn't know for how long he had been sitting there, in the dark, cold cell of Yokot's dungeon... Without any window or source of light... only the thin, flickering light coming through the tiny slit in the massive iron door of his cell.

After an hour or so - or was it five hours? - the door was opened, and the bulky form of a black knight was standing in front of him.

"Come," he just said. "Our lady has requested your presence!"

Not feeling able to fight back, Ranma followed the metal-clad man through the corridors and up the stairs of the fortress... until he was being lead out on a balcony that was rising high above the barren plains of Na'aj.

Ekana was standing there, clutching her wand, and welcomed him with an evil grin. She raised her wand and gestured towards the plains. "Take a look at this, Ranma... this is my realm of darkness! No sunlight will ever shine down here, no birds are singing, and no children's laughter will ever fill the air..." Her face took on a dreamy expression. "Isn't it wonderful?"

"Just what kind of wicked witch are you?" Ranma grumbled weakly.

Ekana turned around to face him. "Remember... while I and my men look like humans, we are creatures of the darkness... We flourish where normal humans would wither away."

She circled him with slow steps. "You know, Ranma... all of this had once been a green, lush country... Thriving with life! In fact, all of Na'aj had once been a part of Ja'an. But when little Akane started to develop doubts, this was the result... And once I've defeated the forces of good, all of Ja'an will look like this."

"I know you want me to help you reach that goal," Ranma replied. "But why should I help you?"

"Simple," Akane's evil counterpart grinned. "We have your fiancee..."

Ranma threw her a dark glance, and Ekana laughed evilly. "Come, I will take you to your little sweetheart... and don't worry, we didn't actually harm her..."

* * *

"Akane!" Ranma shouted as his fingers touched the smooth surface of the hard glass panel in front of him. Behind it, lying on a big bed, was Akane, her eyes closed.

"She can't hear you," Ekana grinned. "She's fast asleep, just like a mirror image of her corporeal self, back in your world."

Angrily, Ranma turned around to face the dark ruler. "What did you do to her?"

"Oh, nothing," Ekana claimed. "Just put a little sleeping spell on her... You know, as her dark half, I always have to struggle against her unconsciousness... but with her asleep, that won't be a problem. Hehehehehe..."

Ranma just glared at her. Then he pulled back his fist... and smacked it as hard as he could into the glass.

He cringed in pain, as the glass didn't shatter.

"Forget it," Koan said, who was standing behind his mistress. "This is unbreakable glass... it will only give away if my lady wishes it."

All of a sudden, Ranma felt very weak. He looked at the image of his sleeping fiancee through the unbreakable glass. "A... Akane..."

"Well, I see this was a bit much, even for you," Ekana nodded. "Okay, that will be all for today... you can go back into your cell. Tomorrow, I will ask you again... and I hope for your sake that your answer will be much more satisfying than now."

The other black knight grabbed Ranma's shoulder and pushed him out of the room.

After Ranma had left the room, the image of Akane and the bed seemed to quiver... and then it became a black, shimmering surface.

Koan approached Ekana. "My lady... what will we do if Saotome doesn't accept?"

"He will! He has no other choice. But if he actually won't do it... then he'll be sorry..." She made a fist. "I have waited too long for this day... Ja'an will be mine!"

The black baron couldn't help himself after seeing his beloved mistress in such a state of glorious fury... and glomped her with all his might.

"Oh, my dark mistress... you are so inspiring when you're evil! Let this lowly servant relieve you of your troubles..."

For a moment, Ekana just shook with rage...

Then she hit the dark copy of Kuno with a mighty uppercut. "KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF ME!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Ranma was being lead back through the fortress by his guard. Now that the gruesome image was gone, he felt a little more confident. All of the past days, he just couldn't bear looking at Akane's sleeping face... when he had to think about the possibility that she would probably never wake up again. He found new hope in form of Kasu, who told him there would be a possibility of saving Akane...

But when Akane was sleeping even here... what could he do? He couldn't even fight against the knights properly without being able to use ki.

He had to escape... Ekana wouldn't dare harming Akane... that had to be her doom as well.

He somehow had to get out of here... he would return later to save Akane.

When he and his guardian reached the top of the stairs leading down into the dungeon, he decided to take a chance.

After taking one step, he faked a little dizzy spell and staggered forward. The dark knight quickly took a step forward to catch him...

...and then Ranma turned around, sweeping him off his feet with a low kick. The black knight had no time to even shout in surprise, as he fell down the long stairway, all the way rattling within his armor.

Ranma stood up and nodded. That should be enough to buy him some time. If the power of the mind truly was the mightiest tool he had in this world... then he had to learn to sharpen his mental skills.

But first, he had to get away from here. So he turned around and ran down the corridor.

After hurrying through endless hallways and chambers, he finally found a window that wasn't blocked by iron bars. It seemed strange that he didn't run into any other guards... or that he couldn't hear the footsteps of any followers. But he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth...

He looked outside. The window was quite a distance above the ground... but he had to take a chance. So he carefully climbed out... and jumped!

* * *

"He has to be somewhere around here," a loud voice shouted. "Find him!"

Ranma cursed inwardly as he pulled his head back behind the tree. He had managed to reach the dark forest, but he had been stupid to believe that the dark knights would give up that easily. Of course they would catch up with him, they had their horses.

But he still couldn't risk a confrontation... he still wasn't too sure if he would be able to defend himself without the help of his ki attacks.

Then, a rustling behind some bushes almost made him gasp. He carefully took a step backwards, when a dark shape appeared in front of him, between the trees...

And then a pair of strong hands grabbed him and pulled him into the thicket.

"Ssshhhhh," a voice hissed. "If they hear us, everything will be over. Those black devils have good ears!"

Ranma didn't respond, but the owner of the mysterious voice was obviously on his side, so he stayed silent.

"What's wrong?" one of the black knights shouted.

"Nothing," another voice answered. "I thought I saw something here, but it must have been my imagination..."

"Keep searching!" After several seconds, they were gone.

Ranma let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that was close..." He turned around to face his saviour. "Hey, thanks for the..."

"Keep your thanks for later, we have to get out of here! Quick, follow me!"

Ranma made sure to stay behind his strange guide as he seemed to know the forest well. While running, he noticed the sleek, sportive body of his rescuer, and the long strands of hair that were trailing after him. Also, he didn't seem to wear any shoes...

After some time, they reached a small clearing. "Okay, I think that's far enough... But still, we have to be careful. I don't trust those devils..." He turned around.

Ranma gasped. "Tsu... Tsubasa?"

"What are you talking about?" his saviour asked. "My name is Tsaquasa!"

"Oh... Tsaquasa... right!" Ranma's gaze wandered over Tsaquasa's body, which obviously was much more muscular than that of the cross-dressing boy Ranma knew from home. He was wearing an outfit that looked more like rags than actual clothes, his hair was wet and stringy, and his skin was very pale.

It took Ranma another second to realize that Tsaquasa wasn't really a he, she was a girl.

"What's the matter?" she asked in an unfriendly tone. "Never seen a girl before?"

"Well... not one like you..."

"Thanks for the compliment, you're too nice," she grumbled. "Never mind, we have to leave... Come, I'll take you home, there we'll be safe."

"Are you sure those knights won't find us there?"

Tsaquasa looked at him with a puzzled look, then she grinned. She put a hand on his shoulder and said: "Trust me... even those black devils won't ever be able to find a mermaid's home if she doesn't want them to find it."

It was then that Ranma got a better look at the hand lying on his shoulder... the fingers were connected by a thin layer of webbing.


	3. The Pond Sisters

After following her through the thicket for a while, Ranma asked himself just how much the residents of this world would be like their counterparts from Nerima.

His question was answered when suddenly, the mermaid stopped and looked around. "They're nearby... I can hear them."

Ranma listened, but heard nothing but the sounds of the wind, and his own heavy breathing.

"I don't hear anything," he admitted. Tsaquasa grinned. "No, I didn't think you would... a mermaid's hearing is much better than that of a human. But they will be here soon... we have to disguise ourselves."

"Disguise?" Ranma wondered. "As what? As boulders?"

She grinned. "Good idea!" She grabbed into her ragged shirt and pulled out a pendant that kinda looked like a starfish on a chain...

She pulled Ranma close to her. "Don't move," she told him and grasped her pendant.

A slight glow of blue light surrounded them for a short while, then it was gone.

"Now, stay silent," Tsaquasa whispered.

Ranma looked around, but just couldn't see any way in which the starfish pendant could have disguised them. Besides, he was kinda uncomfortable, clinging that closely to an attractive girl... even if she looked like Tsubasa. It just called up to many unpleasant memories...

But he obeyed her and didn't move or make any sounds. A few minutes later, a few black knights were coming through the bushes.

'They have to see us,' Ranma thought. 'There's no way they could possibly miss us!'

But even though he and his companion were standing right in front of the knights, they didn't seem to see them at all.

"Nothing here," their leader finally said. "Keep searching over there!"

And then, they were gone.

Grinning, Tsaquasa once again grasped her pendant. "Okay, I've dropped the disguise. As I said before: They can try it, but they won't find a mermaid that doesn't want to be found."

"But... why didn't they see us?" Ranma wondered.

Tsaquasa pointed at her pendant. "Disguise magic! When I activate the starfish, I can make others believe that I am something else... like a boulder, in this case. And as you were close to me, you were disguised as well."

She grinned and put her pendant back under her shirt. "Normally, when we mermaids are under water, we would disguise ourselves as part of a coral reef, or big clams." She sighed. "But, as we are forced to live here, in the forest..." She shook her head. "Never mind... come, we are almost there." And she pulled Ranma along.

After running for a while, they reached a big lake in the woods... its smooth surface was sparkling in the moonlight.

"Well, here we are," Tsaquasa said in a melancholic voice. "Home sweet home..."

Ranma gulped. "Umm... you want me to dive down there?"

Tsaquasa giggled, as if he had said something extremely funny. "No, silly! You should know that such a small lake would be much too confining for a mermaid to live in... Sure, there's enough water for us... but sadly, not nearly enough space to swim around as freely as we're used to... We're living in a cave, over there..."

Ranma looked at the lake. Too small? It seemed pretty big to him... But then, what did he know about mermaids?

Then he realized what she had said. "We?" he asked. "There's someone else living with you?"

"Yeah, my elder sister," Tsaquasa nodded. "She's out right now, but she'll be back at noon..."

"Noon?" Ranma asked. "I've been here for at least two days, and the sun hasn't set even once."

"Of course not," Tsaquasa said as if he had said something incredibly stupid. "But that doesn't mean we haven't day and night, right? It's only a bit brighter... but you can tell by watching the moon - if you can see it, it's night. Got it? Now, stop wasting time with stupid questions and follow me!"

Ranma wisely decided to shut up for now. He really didn't know enough about this world to make a fitting comment...

The mermaid walked over to a big boulder that was lying near the lake and touched it with her pendant... and it seemed to vanish. She grinned, when seeing his puzzled face.

"Yet another disguise?" Ranma asked.

She nodded and gestured towards the hole that had appeared under the illusionary boulder. "Come, I'll show you our home... and don't worry! The black ones won't find us there."

Ranma stepped into the hole and saw stairs leading down into the wet earth. It didn't look too comfortable, but of course he didn't say anything... He wasn't planning on offending his savior.

After Ranma went down, Tsaquasa followed him, once again disguising the exit with her magic. Then they walked down the stairs.

They were leading to a big cave, which actually looked much more inviting than Ranma had feared. There was a pair of beds, some cupboards, a table and some chairs. Also, several big jars were standing around, filled with clear water. The whole cave was illuminated with blue, shining crystals that were attached to the floor and the walls.

Ranma walked in and looked around. "Nice... place you got here," he said.

Tsaquasa walked past him and sat down in one of the chairs. "Nice?" she asked and rubbed her nose. "This isn't nice..."

Afraid that he had said something wrong, Ranma stayed silent.

"Once, sis and I have lived in the ocean, together with many of our brothers and sisters... and Mom and Dad were still alive as well. It was so beautiful... Every day, we could get up early, when the sun was shining through the surface, and we would play with dolphins..."

"I'm... sorry if I said something wrong..." Ranma said.

Tsaquasa sniffed. "It's all right... you couldn't know. Want something to eat?"

Ranma nodded, and she fetched some dried fish out of one of the cupboards.

While they were sitting at the table and ate, Ranma asked: "So... you two live here all by yourself? Why? What happened?"

Tsaquasa looked at him with a grin. "You really aren't from around here, huh? Ekana happened, of course... Her dark influence formed the Shadow Mountains around this land, and the way to the ocean was blocked.

My family was just visiting friends that have been living here in the forest... A family of wood nymphs. But, after those horrible days, when the sky turned dark and the mountains appeared, we were scared. And then, one day, the black riders came...

We still had no place to live, and so, to save my sister and me, Mom and Dad decided to stop them... But they had no chance against them..."

With tears in her eyes, the mermaid looked down at the floor. "They have been taken to Yokot Fortress... We haven't seen them ever since..."

She had stopped eating and looked very sad. Ranma wanted to say something comforting, when suddenly, someone else entered the room.

It was another girl, with the same wet hair Tsaquasa had, only hers was a shimmering black. She was dressed in similar rags, but in her right hand, she carried a long trident.

"You brought a visitor," she said. And then, after taking a good look at Ranma, she added: "You're the one they're looking for..."

"That's Ranma," Tsaquasa explained to her sister. "He has fled from the castle. I just couldn't let them get him. Please, Konaxu... he can stay, right?"

Konaxu? Yeah, that was what Ranma had guessed. Konatsu's double... of course, also a girl.

"Of course he can stay," Tsaquasa's older sister said. "At least for the night... Then we'll see..."

"Sis!" Tsaquasa shouted in bewilderment. "You're not planning on turning him over to the black devils, are you?"

"Of course not," Konaxu said. "But... I don't know for how long he can stay... You see, it's just too dangerous for us. If the black ones continue to search the forest, they might discover our cave... and who knows what they'll do to us. You remember what they did to Mom and Dad, do you?"

"I... I understand," Ranma said. "And I don't want to endanger you because of my presence... I'll just stay for the night, and then I will go on by myself."

"That's too dangerous," Tsaquasa protested. "And, where do you plan to go?"

"I have to find a way past the Shadow Mountains," Ranma said. "I need to find someone called Kasu..."

"The magical lady of Tokoi... I see," Konaxu nodded.

"Tokoi?" Ranma asked.

"The capital city of Ja'an," the mermaid explained. "Once you've managed to find a way past the mountains, the rest of the way will be easy to master..."

"I still say it's too dangerous," Tsaquasa mumbled. "But, if you want to send him to his doom... I won't stop you!"

Gritting her teeth, the younger mermaid stormed out of the room and up the stairs. Ranma looked after her in worry.

Konaxu followed his look and smiled. "She'll be okay! I think she just wants to take a quick dip in the lake, to cool down."

"I'm sorry if I have made her upset..." Ranma said.

Konaxu sat down next to him. "She just has to learn to make the right decision in a difficult situation... And believe me, if they wouldn't be looking for you, I would have gladly invited you to stay for a little longer."

"Well, one night is better than nothing, right?"

"That's right," she said. "Please, be the guest of the Pond Sisters... even if for one night."

Ranma smiled. "Thanks for the offer!"

* * *

"Have you found anything?" The Black Baron shouted out to his comrades of the black knight unit, 'Black Steel' as they started to gather in the blackened woods once more.

One of the armored nights shook his head. "Sorry Captain Koan! We have been unable to find the Mistress' target."

"DAMN!" Captain Koan cursed his luck as he and his men continued to lack luck in finding their target. "Mistress Ekana is going to have our heads on pikes if we don't bring him back!" Not that he didn't mind when his mistress was an evil sadistic bitch, after all he liked it when she played rough. But there was a difference between 'playing rough' and outright murder.

"We should continue searching, sire!" One of the black knights shouted to get the attention of their commander. "We can keep it up if we have to. He has to be here! Thanks to the Mistress Ekana's magics, this realm becomes something of a prison maze for those not of the darkness."

"Only for those born of Ja'an..." Captain Koan stated. "It might have some effect on him, but I don't doubt that if he tries hard enough, that he will break free and leave this place."

"What do we do then?" Another of the Black Steel knights shouted. "If he makes it to Ja'an, he'll be out of the Mistress' reach!"

Considering that, Captain Koan knew that even if the pigtailed boy managed to leave, he would come back to them. There was no way he'd leave that little girl that looked so much like his gloriously despicable Mistress Ekana.

Still, he knew that the Mistress wouldn't forgive them for loosing the boy. They had to find him! Looking out to his men, he shouted, "We have no choice. Who is carrying the golden flute?"

One of the knights of the Black Steel suddenly sat up on his horse. "But, sir! We can only summon it another three times. Mistress Ekana said to use this only when necessary!"

"And this IS necessary!" Captain Koan shouted. "At this point, the damned boy might have gotten out of the realm of Na'aj and into Ja'an, where we can't follow! No, we need the creature which CAN go back and forth between the realms." He looked towards the shoulder. "SUMMON IT!"

Nodding his head, the Black Steel knight KNEW this was a bad idea. Mistress Ekana might punish them even worse for wasting a 'use' of a powerful creature which was limited in how many more times they could call it. 'Maybe if I tell her the Black Baron forced me, she won't cut my balls off', the knight considered as he reached into a black leather pouch on the side of his horse's saddle.

Slowly, the knight took a long flute made of carefully crafted solid gold out of the pouch. Lifting up the visor of his helmet with his free hand, the knight of the Black Steel then brought one end of the gold flute to his lips. With fingers of both hands taking hold, he began to play...

* * *

Slowly, the slumbering creature opened an eye as its ear was tickled by the faint musical sounds that seemed to call out to it... so, it was time again, was it?

Getting up from straw on the floor of its cave it was using as the bed, the creature moved its body, working the stiffness out from its musculature. Satisfied with its limberness after a few minutes, the creature then took off from its home like a shock, moving quickly as it followed the sounds of the flute, moving quickly through the forest, past darkened tree after darkened tree.

Finally, it reached the opening, causing the men to rear their horses back to give it some room. It appreciated the fear these creatures radiated in its presence.

When the music stopped playing, a deep voice rumbled forth from the summon beast.

"_Now five times you call me here, before those filled with mortal fear. You may call me so only twice more, and then you shall call nevermore."_

The creature them looked right towards Koan, causing the Black Baron to shiver in unease. Damn it, he knew they had no choice, but he hated summoning...

With gleaming eyes, the colossal form of the winged Minotaur Tora stood in front of the Black Baron and his subordinates.

He cracked his knuckles. "Well, what shall it be, puny mortal? A village to ravage, a powerful enemy to kill? I'm open for suggestions..."

Koan gathered his dignity and stepped forward. "Listen, beast... We are searching for an enemy of our mistress... he is a traveller from another world and has black hair, tied into a pigtail... His name is Ranma Saotome! We want you to find him! He has escaped from our fortress last night, and he shouldn't have gotten far... still, there is always the possibility that he could have reached the border of Na'aj... and you know..."

"Yes!" The beast grinned. "You miserable knights can't even cross the barrier between the realms... All right, I shall obey..." He turned his back to the baron and his men and took off into the dark sky.

* * *

The next morning, Ranma woke up to the sounds of someone rummaging through a cupboard. He sat up in the bed that Konaxu had allowed him to use, and rubbed his eyes.

Tsaquasa grinned as she looked up from what she was doing. "Oh, did I wake you, sleepyhead? So sorry about that!"

"Doesn't matter..." Ranma grumbled sleepily. "Back home, my father would have woken me up anyways... Damn, and I can't even spar by myself."

"Sorry, I'm not much of a fighter," Tsaquasa admitted. "By the way, sis is searching the forest. It looks like most of the knights are searching in the southern part of the woods by now. Wanna join me for a little dip in the lake?"

Ranma thought about it, then shook his head. "Sorry, not this time... But how about I watch you from the shore?"

Tsaquasa giggled. "You humans... are you all that afraid of water?"

"Hey, I'm afraid of nuthin'..."

"Oh, of course not," she teased.

In fact, Ranma just wouldn't want to activate his curse, as he didn't know if there was a way to get hot water around here... The mermaid sisters didn't seem to own a stove or something similar. Also, everything they had offered him to eat was good, but cold.

He followed his new friend outside and watched as she jumped into the water with an elegant dive. And when she splashed and jumped around in the lake, he realized that her legs have turned into a beautiful, azure fish tail. Apparently, those mermaids could turn their tails into human legs at will.

After several minutes, Tsaquasa came shooting out of the water like a living torpedo. Her fin turned back into a pair of legs, and she landed elegantly next to her new friend.

"Aaaaah, that felt good," she sighed. She really looked refreshed, almost reborn.

"You must miss the ocean, huh?" Ranma asked.

"Yeah, very much," she nodded with a sad voice. "But, it's not too bad here... the only thing that makes our life miserable are the black knights... But still, sometimes I miss life back in our kingdom... the pearl-decorated towers of daddy's castle..."

"Castle?" Ranma wondered. "Your dad owned a castle?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Tsaquasa grinned. "Our parents were the king and queen of our part of the sea."

"So that makes you..."

"Yup!" She curtsied. "You have the honor of being in the presence of the younger princess of the western sea, mylord!"

Just then, they heard a rustling in the bushes... and Konaxu appeared. She smiled when seeing the other two teenagers. "Ah... gone for your morning dip?" she asked her sister.

"Yup!" Tsaquasa replied. "I asked Ranma if he would come as well, but he obviously is a hydrophobic..."

"Hey, that's not true," Ranma protested in a playful voice. Tsaquasa stuck out her tongue.

Konaxu chuckled, but got serious pretty quickly. "Ranma... we should leave soon..."

"We?" the pig-tailed boy wondered.

She nodded. "I told you I would show you a safe way to Ja'an, right? I will come with you for a short distance, then you have to go by yourself."

"I wanna come too," Tsaquasa piped up.

But her sister shook her head. "Sorry, but you don't know the way as well as I do... and I can't watch out for both of you. I'm sorry, Tsaquasa, but you have to stay back here at the lake."

"That sooo sucks," the other mermaid grumbled. "You always have to boss me around."

Konaxu sighed. "Look, sis, this isn't the time..."

But she couldn't continue, as suddenly, a dark shape came crashing down through the trees and smashed onto the ground in front of them.

Ranma gasped and went into battle position, while Konaxu brandished her trident. Tsaquasa yelped and hid behind her sister.

The winged Minotaur chuckled as he stared down at the three creatures cowering in front of him. "Well, well, long time no see, princess of the ocean... or should that be: Princess of the pond?" He roared with laughter.

"Tora..." Konaxu grumbled. Of all the monsters at her command, Ekana just had to send that vicious demon of a Minotaur? She didn't know if she would be able to defend herself against his power.

Tora then looked at Ranma. "Ah, the boy with the pigtail, just as Koan said... well, that was an easy job."

"So, Koan sent you, eh?" Ranma asked. He still felt a surge of anger, every time he thought about the black baron. "So, and what now?"

"Nothing!" The enormous beast turned back around.

"Huh?" Ranma was puzzled. He was going to leave? That was way too easy. Taro would have never acted like this.

"What are you planning, Minotaur?" Konaxu shouted. "Don't you want to rip us apart, as you do with all of your victims?"

"Not this time, little mermaid," the beast chuckled. "My job was to find that boy... and I did, did I? Well, now I just have to report back. If you excuse me..." And he spread his wings and took off into the sky.

"That was scary," whimpered Tsaquasa.

"We have no time to lose," Konaxu said. "If he's going to tell Koan where you are, the black knights will be here soon. Tsaquasa, get back into the cave and don't come out until I've returned, understood?"

"But sis..."

"Don't argue! We don't have time for this! Ranma, quick! Follow me!"

"All right, got it!" He took one final look at Tsaquasa. "Sorry, but she's right... Although I hope we'll see each other again. Take care..."

"Yeah, you too!" the younger mermaid nodded, and then Ranma and Konaxu left.

* * *

Koan felt pretty confident as he saw the approaching form of the summoned beast. That was faster than he thought it would take... so, perhaps Saotome was still around here.

After the Minotaur had landed, Koan stepped up impatiently. "Well, out with it: Where is Saotome? And why didn't you bring him with you?"

Tora laughed. "You just ordered me to find him, Black Baron... I found him, at the forest lake, in the company of two pretty mermaids... And when I found him, my job was complete. So I came back. Now remember, you can only summon me two more times before I reclaim my flute."

Koan snarled with anger. That wasn't what he wanted... But Tora was right. He was only bound to follow the summoner's command... And he only commanded him to find Saotome.

After the mighty beast had vanished again, he angrily punched one of his men in the face. Damn! That certainly could have gone better.

Well, at least he knew where Saotome was... or rather, had been several minutes ago. "Go to the forest lake!" he commanded his men. "Search its area until you found Saotome!"

"Yes, sir!"

Well, now he only had to tell his mistress how he had wasted one summoning of the flute...

* * *

Cringing in pain, the Black Baron fell to the ground as Ekana pulled back her wand.

"I'm very disappointed, Koan... I clearly told you: Only use the flute in a case of emergency!"

"Forgive me, my lady," Koan sniveled. "But I only wanted to bring you your enemy back..."

"I thought you would, you birdbrain... You always act without thinking first."

She sat down on her throne. "And now, answer this question: Have I ever, since Saotome has fled, ordered you to capture him?"

"Um... no?"

"You're right, no! I didn't! And do you know just why I didn't want him to be captured?"

"No, I don't."

"Perhaps BECAUSE I wanted him to escape, you fool! Do you think he would have been able to flee this fortress if I hadn't told my guards to leave their posts? I wanted Saotome to flee, so he would go and search a way to get over the Shadow Mountains."

"But, my evil mistress... Just WHY do you want him to go there? When he crosses the mountains, he will be able to reach Tokoi..."

"Yes, exactly," Ekana said. "And that's why we're going to... follow him!"

Realization dawned within the black baron's mind. "You mean..."

"You understand now? All of it has been a part of my plan. The Shadow Mountains are a barrier between Na'aj and Ja'an, created by the subconsciousness of sleeping Akane Tendo... but there are small parts where they can be crossed, only very few persons know of those ways."

She grinned evilly. "And if we can't find those ways... we let Ranma Saotome find them instead."

"Truly an ingenious plan, my mistress! Brilliant! Please, allow me to command the troops that are going to go after Saotome!"

"I'm sorry, Koan, but I already found a suitable general..."

She made a gesture, and a black knight entered the room. Other than being a woman and wearing the female version of the black knight armors, she didn't look too special... He also couldn't see her face, because of the black mask she was wearing. But Koan could feel the aura of darkness and cruelty that was surrounding that knight like an invisible cloak.

"Baron Koan, I'd like you to meet... the Black Valkyrie!"


	4. The Valkyrie's Aura

Konaxu pointed westwards. "Continue going in that direction, Ranma... over there is the tunnel entrance I have discovered a few days ago. I'm not too sure where it leads... but as long as it isn't a dead end, chances are high that it goes underneath the Shadow Mountains."

"That's all?" Ranma mumbled. "A hidden path underneath the mountains? That's the big secret how to get on the other side?"

The mermaid shrugged. "Well, it's just a guess..."

"All right..." Ranma sighed. "Guess I'll have to take my chances... thanks for your help anyway!"

She smiled. "Anytime! And remember, once you have passed the mountains, just continue your journey westwards, and you'll reach the kingdom of Tokoi sooner or later."

"Thanks again," Ranma said as he started walking and left Konaxu behind. "And tell Tsaquasa it was fun hanging around with her..."

"Good luck!" And then, he stepped behind a big boulder and was gone.

* * *

It only took Ranma half an hour before he found the entrance to the tunnel that Konaxu had told him about.

High above his head the Shadow Mountains were rising, looming creepily in front of the night sky...

It was clear that climbing those mountains was out of the question... Heck, they were so high, Ranma had doubts even Goku with his famous cloud would have troubles flying over them.

Then he concentrated on the dark cave in front of him.

Luckily, the mermaid sisters had wrapped up some food for him, as well as some water in a waterskin. That should be enough for some days. Well, the question was, how long was this tunnel?

"Only one way to find out," the martial artist told himself and stepped into the darkness.

* * *

It was dark inside the tunnel, very dark. The only reason why Ranma had been able to go on at all was that Konaxu had also given him some of the glowing crystals, and they were illuminating his way.

After walking along the bumpy and stony tunnel for some time, Ranma got hungry, so he stopped for a small lunch break. He really couldn't say just how much time he had already spent within the caves, and how long he still had to walk. But he had the feeling that it would take him at least one more day. At least the tunnel was very broad and had a very high ceiling...

After finishing his meal, he took his lightning gem and continued his way.

He took another break when he had the feeling that one day must have passed since he had entered the tunnel... at least that's what his inner watch told him. Also, the long way had made him tired, so he decided to go to sleep... until he felt fit enough to go on.

* * *

Ranma woke up when he heard the sounds of loud voices, the clanging of steel, the clopping of hooves and the snorting of horses.

Startled, he jumped to his feet, wrapping the glowing crystal with some cloth, so it only gave off a very dimmed light.

He peeked out from the rock he had been lying behind and held his breath.

Travelling through the darkness of the tunnel was a very large number of the dark knights from Yokot, carrying weapons, tools and other stuff. They were going on foot, riding horses or steering small carriages.

"How did they get here?" Ranma mumbled to himself. Did Ekana know of this tunnel as well? Was this her invasion army on its way to Tokoi? If that was the case, he had to reach Ja'an in time, before it was too late.

Unfortunately, most of the troops already seemed to have passed his hidden sleeping spot, so he wasn't able to leave until the very last of the knights has walked past. Cursing his bad luck, Ranma waited for a good chance.

After some time, Ranma had the feeling he could risk sneaking out of his hiding place... the last riders just passed his position.

He waited a few more minutes, then he grabbed his stuff, planning to follow them in some distance. But then something unpredictable happened: A straggler appeared behind him, obviously a spy that had to make sure that no one was following the troops.

When Ranma saw him, he knew that it was too late: The knight had seen him as well.

Therefore he rushed his enemy with full speed, before he could alarm his comrades. Reaching the black horse, he knocked the knight out of the saddle and to the ground. Cursing, the dark warrior jumped to his feet and drew his sword.

Carefully, the two opponents circled each other. Ranma knew that his martial art skills were hampered because of the lack of ki within this realm, but it should be sufficient against one single enemy.

Then the knight attacked: He raised his black blade and let it whoosh through the air, aiming for Ranma's head.

Skillfully, Ranma ducked under the strike and countered with a low punch at his opponent's stomach. The blow threw the knight backwards, and before he could recover, Ranma jumped after him to take away his sword.

But the knight had a solid grip on his weapon, so it didn't work on Ranma's first try. They continued to struggle for the weapon, all the while the dark soldier was sitting on the ground.

Then the knight managed to pull the sword out of Ranma's grasp. Ranma jumped after it, tripped over a rock lying on the ground... and pushed the sword right into his opponent's chest.

The sharp blade slid through a gap within the black armor, pierced the knight's heart... and ended his life! The warrior uttered a quiet 'urk'... then his lifeless body fell down to the ground.

Ranma stared at the dead body of his enemy. That was the first time he was forced to kill his opponent... well, if you don't count Saffron.

Ranma decided not to think about it anymore. It was an accident, and that guy had been his enemy after all... still, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the nameless knight.

The knight's horse was still upset and pranced around Ranma, whinnying quietly.

Ranma took the reigns of the black stallion and calmed him down. "Hey, calm down, boy... It's all right!"

The horse relaxed after a moment. It seemed that this horse wasn't really an evil creature... it was just used by an evil master.

When looking down at the armor-clad form of his dead opponent, Ranma suddenly got an idea...

* * *

Ranma had the strong urge to scratch his back, even though he knew that would be futile. The black armor was mighty uncomfortable... but it wasn't supposed to be comfortable, only to be a good protection. And, clothed within his enemy's armor, complete with the helmet, the other members of the dark army wouldn't recognize him. Add the horse, and the disguise was perfect.

Tsaquasa would have been proud.

Ranma realized that the black stallion he had claimed was indeed a gentle animal, obviously mistreated by its previous owner. After realizing that his new master was a good man, the stallion was more than ready to help him out. Within his dark eyes, Ranma could see an impressive spark of intelligence. He decided to call the stallion 'Boy', because that was what he had called him while speaking with him for the first time.

Ranma managed to quickly catch up with the rest of the army, and no one was suspicious about his behavior. He knew he had to leave the black army sooner or later, but it wouldn't be easy as long as they were travelling through this long, dark tunnel. Well, he had no other choice...

And so, Ranma continued his way as part of an army that was out to conquer the magical world of Ja'an...

The troops of Dark Mistress Ekana kept on marching the rest of the day and a good part of the night. Ranma felt really tired and wished he could have taken a small break, but he couldn't risk exposing himself.

When finally, the black army stopped for the night, Ranma almost fell down from his horse. He was tired... but the captains of the squad he had sneaked in never gave him a rest. He and the other knights had to put up the tents, take care of the horses, polish their weapons... and when they were finally allowed to go to sleep, Ranma felt as if he would never wake up again.

But, shortly before falling asleep, a sleek figure came out of the big main tent in the middle of the camp.

And before Ranma's eyes slowly got closed, he had the feeling that a cold aura of darkness was surrounding that female knight...

* * *

The next day started as early as the previous day had ended late. Ranma and his squad had to clean everything up, saddle the horses and get moving.

Ranma got pretty nervous when he saw none other than Baron Koan, who was instructing his own troops, some distance away. Luckily, he didn't seem to be the lead general of the army. Ranma was hoping he wouldn't get too close to him, so the dark baron wouldn't recognize him.

He also was hoping that they would reach the end of the cave pretty soon, so he could end this charade.

His prayers were being answered.

A few hours after they had started, the light within the tunnel turned brighter and brighter. And then...

...then Ranma had to close his eyes because of the unusual light that was shining down on them, the rays of the bright sun that was up in the almost cloud-less sky...

Wait a minute...

Sun?

Ranma gasped as he looked upwards. After spending all those days in Na'aj and the dark tunnel, it was kinda surprising to see the sunlight again. But that could mean only one thing...

After walking a short distance, Ranma turned around and looked up... at the massive mountain range that rose behind him.

They had left the Shadow Mountains behind.

They had arrived in Ja'an!

* * *

The commanders of the troops shouted several harsh orders to their men, instructions for going down the mountain trail they had to follow. The tunnel exit was situated on a big plateau on the side of the mountains, to reach the mainland of Ja'an, they had to go down this trail, into a valley at the bottom of the mountains.

Ranma realized that the descent of the army was the ideal situation to get away from them. They had to be especially careful while leading the horses and carriages down the trail.

Luckily, Ranma's squad was the first to go down the slopes, and he was going to make use of that fact.

When the captain asked for a volunteer to scout ahead, Ranma was happy to oblige.

He took Boy by the reigns, went ahead and acted like he was watching the ground and the steep cliffs carefully and waited for the right moment...

He acted when the captain was yelling at a knight who had acted disobediently... he jumped into his steed's saddle, grabbed the reigns and shouted: "Now, Boy! Run as fast as you can!"

The black stallion neighed loudly and began dashing down the steep slope. Ranma realized the wild ride down the mountainside was pretty dangerous, as he and Boy had to watch out for boulders lying in the way, and for the steep abyss that was right next to them. One wrong step, and they would plunge down into their doom...

Also, when he heard an angry yell, he knew that his cover was blown. He ducked in his saddle when a black arrow flew over his head.

Since Ranma wasn't a skilled rider, he almost completely had to trust into the abilities of his horse. And Boy truly did his best... any normal horse would have already fallen down the cliffs.

As Ranma turned his head around, he could see a small group of riders that came after him. The leader was a tall knight who was swinging an impressive morning star... it was Baron Koan!

When the slope made a sharp turn, Ranma feared that this would be the end... Boy almost didn't make it. But, at the last moment, the black stallion found his balance and continued their escape.

A loud clatter of metal sounded behind Ranma's back, followed by an angry curse... Koan didn't make the turn without falling from his saddle. Sadly, he didn't fall down the chasm, but at least his horse was blocking the path, so Ranma would have enough time to escape.

When they turned around the next slope, the dark knights vanished out of their sight. But Ranma and Boy didn't stop or even slow down until they had reached the foot of the mountain. Ranma quickly looked around and then rode into a lush thicket, right in front of them.

After a while, he stopped his steed and listened carefully. But he couldn't hear anything... they had successfully escaped from their enemies' clutches. And finally, Ranma had managed to make it to Ja'an.

But war had followed him. And it won't be easy to hide from it forever...


	5. The troll and the bear

After having hidden within the small thicket for several moments, Ranma was certain that the black knights had lost his track.

Still, he had to make sure to reach the capital before them.

And to think what they would do to the villages they would walk through while heading to Tokoi...

No! He didn't want to think about something like that right now.

"Come, Boy!" Ranma said to his new friend. "Let's go... we have to find the way to Tokoi together."

He sighed. "Not only to warn them of the black army... but also to find Kasu. She... she has to help me. I need to find a way to save Akane. Without my ki... I'm just not strong enough..."

Ranma and Boy continued to travel through the beautiful land of Ja'an. After only seeing the gloomy landscape of Na'aj, Ranma was really glad to feel the warm sun on his skin, and to hear the voices of singing birds. During that day, they were walking over hills, through streams and across the plains.

But Ranma could never stop thinking about Akane...

At midday, they made a short break at a riverbank. Ranma re-filled his waterskin and let Boy drink from the river. He was still wearing the black armor, in case they would meet with some black knights. Perhaps he could fool them again...

Just then, he remembered the spooky general he had seen in the camp, while he had been spending the night there, in his disguise. She hadn't been very big, nor had she looked like someone special... but when he thought about the feeling he got when seeing her, it gave him the creeps.

"Somehow... this woman was different from the other knights," he mumbled. "I wonder... will I have to fight her some day? And... will she be a formidable opponent?" He smirked. "Heh... most likely..."

Suddenly, Boy raised his head abruptly and whinnied in fear.

"Hey, what's up?" Ranma asked and patted his neck. "Did you smell something?" Carefully, he looked around.

He heard a loud crack behind himself and turned around.

And then he gasped... Standing in front of him was a muscular figure that was more than twice his own height. The creature had deep green skin and carried a massive, wooden club that had an unusual, broad end. Seeing this colossus standing in front of him, it seemed to Ranma as if it was blocking the sun itself.

And then, he looked right into the cute face of the creature.

He blinked. "Ucchan?" he whispered.

The creature - which actually looked like a titanic Ukyo with green skin - smirked when seeing Ranma standing before her.

"Ooooooh," she said in a gleeful voice. "A black one! What a nice find!" She grinned and reached out with her left hand.

Ranma jumped back in time. "H-hey!" he shouted. "I'm not a black knight, you know?"

"Well, you're wearing their armor, are you not?" the colossal Ukyo grumbled. "What would you be, if not a black one? Don't try to take me for a fool... we trolls can get pretty violent if fooled, you know?"

She came a step closer.

Ranma raised his sword. "Stand back, or else..."

The female troll snickered. "Ooooh... he's getting cheeky... how bold!" She grabbed her enormous club (which also kinda looked like a wooden spatula) and raised it high above her head.

Not wanting to be flattened into a pancake (he doubted that the armor would protect him from THAT), Ranma ran around the Ukyo-troll and jumped up to grab the end of her club. He reached it and pulled with all his might.

"Hey, whoa... What are you doing?" The troll almost lost her balance. "Stop that!" she snarled and pulled back.

And Ranma just let go of his end.

Yelping in surprise, the troll that looked so much like his childhood buddy tripped and fell over with a heavy crash. The club fell down next to her.

Ranma jumped next to her and put his sword to her neck. "Now will you be a good troll and listen to me?"

"C-calm down there," she said nervously. "That thing is sharp, you know? I'm sure we can talk about everything..."

"First, tell me your name," Ranma demanded.

The (kinda cute) troll knew she was defeated and gulped. "Uko..."

"Okay... Uko. First, I am NOT a black knight, even if I look like one... I only wear this armor as a disguise. Second, I DON'T plan on harming you in any way. So, pick up your club and let's quit this stupid prattle, okay?" He pulled back his blade. Over the past few days, he really got used to it.

Uko blinked as she saw he was serious. "You... you mean it?" she asked as she took her club. "You're not one of them?"

"Of course not," Ranma assured her and sheathed his sword. "I had to hide among them when they came along the underground path, under the mountains."

Uko sighed as she sat down next to his standing form, but still towering over him. "So, she did it after all those years..."

"Who did what?"

"Ekana! She had always threatened to attack Ja'an, but we never believed she would find a way to cross the mountains. But if what you said is true..." She sighed again. "Hard times will come..."

"Look, Uko... I have to find the fastest way to Tokoi. Can you show me where to go?"

Uko stood up and looked around for a while. Then, after hesitating a bit, she gestured in one direction. "That way... I think... But I should come with you. With the black knights around, it won't be safe. Also, there are many wild animals living in these parts of the land."

Ranma smiled up at the troll. "That would be great, I'm new here and don't know the first thing about this country... and travelling with a companion is always fun."

She smiled back at him... and reminded him even more of Ukyo, even if she was green and more than twice his height. "Yeah, that's right..."

Ranma looked around and whistled for Boy, who had run away during his small struggle with Uko. Shortly after, the black stallion came prancing over to them.

Uko glanced at the horse. "Black's your favorite color, huh?" she asked.

Ranma decided not to answer that question.

* * *

It seemed that Uko really knew her way around these parts of the land. She warned him of every unsafe place, found nice spots to rest and easily caught forest animals to fill up Ranma's food bag.

"Have you always lived around here?" he asked when they were walking along a rocky path.

Uko nodded. "Yeah, my family has lived here for a very long time... I am a hunter, my father was a hunter and his father as well... But it is a really good place to live." Her face then grew sad. "I just hope that it will stay this way, now that the black ones have crossed the mountains..."

"Hey, cheer up!" Ranma told her. "I don't wanna see a frown on that cute face."

Uko blushed... as much as that was possible for someone with green skin. "C-cute? You think I'm cute?"

'Oh boy!' Ranma thought. 'Here we go again... Me and my big mouth...'

"Y-yeah, of course," he said. "For a troll, that is..." He wisely didn't tell her that she was the first troll he had ever seen in his life.

Uko giggled... kinda weird for such a big, strong girl like her. "Thanks, Ranma... but, you know: Normally, a male troll wouldn't want a girl like me."

That Ranma couldn't understand. "Huh? Why?"

She sighed. "You know, most trolls have a pretty weird understanding of good looks... at least that's what I think. They say trolls have to have crooked teeth, pointy ears and a warty skin to look good... and the only troll-like attributes I have are the green skin and my strength..."

"Hey, cheer up!" Ranma said. "Who cares what they say? In my eyes, you're the cutest troll I've ever seen."

'Well, that wasn't even a lie...' he thought.

She beamed at him. "Thank you, Ranma... that means so much to me!"

Suddenly, the look on her face turned serious. She grabbed her weapon and turned around. She looked like she was on edge...

"What?" Ranma asked. "What's wrong?"

"Something..." she growled. "Something is coming... There's definitely something nearby..." she grumbled, gripping her wooden club nervously.

And then something jumped out of the bushes... right NEXT to them!

A massive, black shape flew against Uko's big body and knocked her down the hill on which they were standing. Uko couldn't stop as she rolled down the hill, cursing all the while.

And then the massive creature turned around to face Ranma.

It was a bear... but the biggest bear Ranma had ever seen. Its fur was a shining black, and the sharp claws at the end of its paws were shimmering in the sunlight.

Standing on its hind legs, Ranma wondered if it was even bigger than Uko... but he had no time to ponder about this, as the black bear let out a loud bellow and attacked him with both paws at once.

Not able to deflect such an attack with the sword, Ranma dodged it and tried striking the beast's front legs. But the black blade got entangled within the fuzzy fur of the bear... Ranma clearly had to practice using a sword in battle some more.

Hitting Ranma on the chest, the massive animal pushed him backwards, on his behind. The beast raised its paws to attack its opponent with a devastating blow, and Ranma cringed...

But then the bear stopped its attack and blinked.

"Now that's strange," it said in a gruff voice. "You look like a black one... but you don't smell like one. Should I eat you or not?"

"You... you really shouldn't eat me," Ranma quickly spoke up. "I'd taste really bad... besides, that armor would be in the way, right?"

The bear seemed to think about that. "Ah, that small amount of metal... that will easily be removed..." He grinned, showing his gleaming teeth. "I think I will eat you after all... that will be a nice snack!"

But before he could do anything else, a heavy club smacked into the side of his head, throwing him away.

Ranma watched with relief as Uko faced the furry colossus. Now he could see: The two giants were actually the same height.

"Leave him alone!" she shouted. "You're still hunting within my hunting grounds? Well, at least stay clear of my friends, okay?"

The bear snarled as he recovered from the troll-girl's blow. "Your hunting grounds?" he roared. "The last time I checked, this hill was part of MY hunting grounds... and since when do you team up with black knights?"

"Because he is no black knight," Uko replied. "You should learn to ask first, and pounce later."

Ranma got confused. "You, um... You two seem to know each other...?"

Uko nodded. To the bear, she said: "Leave him alone, Ryger... Bad enough you steal all of my prey."

"Your prey," the bear snorted. "The only prey I ever hunted was my own prey... And it's his own fault, you know? What was he thinking... dressing like a black one?"

"Now could you two stop that for a moment?" Ranma yelled. To Uko, he asked: "Say, is it much further until we reach Tokoi?"

"Actually, yeah!" his green-skinned companion nodded. "It will take us at least three more days..."

"Three days! Hah!" Ryger interrupted. "Only if you take the longer route. I know a special shortcut, where it will only take you one more day."

"Really?" Ranma was intrigued, even if that bear had just wanted to eat him, several moments ago.

"Now wait a minute," Uko interfered. "I know which way he means. And it's way too dangerous. Ekana's troops will very likely use that route to reach the capital. We should go this way!" And she grabbed Ranma's arm.

"Nonsense!" the bear grumbled. "Dude, if you want a real guide, ditch that dumb troll and come with me... It will be much faster that way!" And he grabbed Ranma's other arm.

For a while, the two giants pulled forth and back, using Ranma as a tightrope in a very primal case of tug-of-war. Poor Ranma was hanging freely in the air, between the two colossal rivals, flailing his legs around wildly.

"Hey, stop that! Lemme go! Lemme go!"

Uko and Ryger obeyed... and Ranma plummeted down to the ground.

He groaned and shook his head. "You know, I'm starting to guess that Ekana must have an easy time when two friends like you act like that."

"Friends?" the bear angrily growled. "With that girl? You wanna insult me? And what's that about Ekana having it easy? Just wait until I'm laying my paws on that bitch."

"She would barely feel your tiny little pads," Uko grumbled.

"Say that to my face, troll-girl!" Ryger snarled.

"Okay, okay, I got it already!" Ranma shouted. Then he turned to face Ryger. "Where is that damned shortcut of yours?"

"We have to go through my cave," the bear replied meekly. "Over there!" And he pointed down the hills.

Uko groaned. "You still have the worst sense of direction, you big furball... Of course it's THAT way!" And she pointed in the opposite direction.

"You serious?" Ryger asked in amazement. "I could have sworn..."

"Trust me," Uko sighed as she lead the way. "If you want to reach his cave, we have to go this way."

Well, if that bear was the Ja'an counterpart from who Ranma believed it to be, it would really be worthwhile for him to listen to Uko's advice...

Still, he couldn't help but shake his head when they continued their way, and the bear and troll still were prattling with each other. This could be a really interesting journey...

* * *

"Well, here we are," Ryger just commented in his gruff voice.

"His cave," Uko remarked unnecessarily and pointed towards the black cavern entrance in front of them.

Ranma couldn't help but grin. "Well, looks just like a big hole in the mountain side... but it'll have to do."

Uko nodded when hearing that and threw the bear a sly grin. Ryger looked angry, but he seemed to have a sense of humor, because he just sighed and lead them inside.

It was much more comfortable than Ranma or even the troll-woman had believed, and most important: It was dry and safe.

"On the other side of my cave, there's another exit... I block it with a boulder, most of the time. But we can go through there for a nice little shortcut. It leads to another path between the northern hills."

"As I said, Ekana's troops will very likely have used that path," Uko pointed out. "But if we're lucky, they will already have passed through."

"Good for us, bad for Tokoi," Ranma grumbled. "We want to warn them IN TIME, remember?"

"Don't worry, by going through my cave, you probably will have saved some time," Ryger said. "Well, it's gettin' late... I'll let you two stay here... tomorrow morning we can continue our way."

"You're coming with us?" Ranma said in surprise.

"Of course!" The bear seemed to grin. "I can't let a rookie like you and a clumsy troll-girl walk all the way to Tokoi by yourselves."

"Oh, we will be SO lucky to have you with us," Uko grumbled.

* * *

The floor of the cave was very hard, but surprisingly, Ranma was having a good sleep that night. Perhaps it was because all of the previous nights, he had to worry about being captured by Ekana's troops. At least the previous owner of Boy had a warm blanket strapped to his saddle...

Uko really seemed to be a master of survival, as she didn't mind sleeping directly on the hard and cold floor. Well, perhaps it was because of her thick troll-skin...

When Ranma woke up the next morning, he could see the fuzzy face of Ryger hovering over his own. "Morning!" the bear greeted him.

Ranma sat up. "Morning..." he groggily replied. He looked around the cave. "Where's Uko?"

"Oh, she's already scouting ahead. She wants to know if there are some black knights on the path we're going to take. I hate to admit it, but she really is a better scout than me..."

Ranma felt pity for the mighty bear. If he was anything like Ryoga, he had to have the worst sense of direction of all the forest animals in this region... Hell, maybe even of all in Ja'an.

"Want some breakfast?" Ryger asked and trotted over to a corner of the cave, where various pieces of meat were lying.

"Raw meat, you mean?" Ranma asked.

The bear grinned. "You humans always have to cook your food, huh? Well, doesn't matter, you can make a small fire... my cave has an air shaft." And he gestured upwards with his paw.

Ranma followed the gesture and really, up there was a small hole in the ceiling. Shrugging, he prepared a small fireplace on the ground of the cave and roasted some meat for a quick breakfast.

While he and Ryger were munching on their food (of course, the bear was eating it raw), Uko suddenly came running into the cave, panting heavily.

"Black ones!" she shouted. "Down the path! Fighting against our soldiers!"

"What?" Ryger growled and jumped to his feet.

Ranma also threw his breakfast aside and grabbed his sword. "We have to help them!"

* * *

The cries of battle and the clanging of weapons echoed through the forest, as Ranma, Uko and Ryger were hurrying to the battleground.

When reaching the big clearing where the battle was raging, they could see that most of the fighters wore the black armors of Yokot, while only in their middle, they could see a small number of warriors dressed in white and gold. Among them, there was also a beautiful girl wearing a white robe, swinging around a long staff.

"Kasu!" Ranma shouted in surprise as he recognized the female mage. In determination, he drew his sword.

"Let's go!" he said. "Let's help them out!"

Spurring his steed, he raised his weapon above his head and let out a mighty yell. Following him shortly, Uko and Ryger also shouted their battlecries.

The three mighty shouts made many of the black knights turn their heads in confusion. Then they gestured to the approaching trio, and several knights got ready to deal with it.

And once again, Ranma's black armor made them make a mistake. The black knights believed one of them would be chased by a savage bear and a furious troll-woman, so they only concentrated on attacking those two... But when Ranma reached them first, his attack totally surprised them, so he and his two new companions managed to strike down several black warriors without having to fight them.

Seeing that their comrades had been tricked, the other knights attacked Ranma and his friends furiously. The golden-clad defenders of Kasu seemed surprised at that turn of events, but when they saw how more dark warriors were falling under the strikes of Ranma, Ryger and Uko, they regained their courage and fought with a new resolve.

Only a short time later, the forces of Yokot were defeated, and the last black ones that were still standing decided to retreat.

Kasu's soldiers cheered with joy when they realized that they had won. Then, they got silent when a sleek figure, dressed in white, marched through their rows.

Ranma dismounted from his horse, but kept his helmet on.

Kasu was throwing him an uncertain smile as she addressed him: "We thank you for your help. If it wasn't for you, we would have stood no chance against them. But I have to ask: How can it be that a knight of Yokot is turning against his comrades?"

Ranma grinned behind his helmet. "Maybe it's because... I am not a knight of Yokot." And he took off his helmet.

Kasu certainly looked surprised. "Ranma? But how..." She really was confused for a while, then she smiled at him with a sigh and shook her head. "I have to admit, you are the last one I had expected." She turned around to the soldiers. "It's all right! He's one of us!"

Turning back to Ranma, she had to shake her head again. "You of all people... just where have you been all the time? I had given up hope you would actually come..."

"What d'ya mean, all the time?" Ranma asked. "It was only a few days, was it?" And he quickly told her how he had appeared in Na'aj, met Ekana and escaped with the help of the mermaids.

"A few days?" Now Kasu looked really surprised. "Well, time is really something strange, isn't it? While it only was a few days for you, several months have passed since I have contacted you."

"What?" Ranma shouted. "But how can that be?"

"My only guess is that time proceeds much faster in Na'aj than here in Ja'an... And, to be honest, I really didn't expect that you would appear in Na'aj, of all places, after entering this world..."

Then she made an inviting gesture. "But let's talk about all of that later. Here, come join us in our camp. And your friends are welcome as well. We have much to talk about..."

* * *

And a little while later, Ranma and his friends were sitting within the small camp of the Tokoian soldiers, talking and laughing and enjoying the company of much more pleasant people than the black knights.

"I'm afraid we have to leave soon," Kasu said. "It was just a big coincidence that we met you... Actually, we're on a special mission... We're travelling through Ja'an to gather more allies that could help us in the upcoming battle against Ekana. And now that we know she has crossed the mountains, we have to hurry even more."

"But you certainly must have a army to defend Tokoi while you're away, don't you?" Ranma asked.

But Kasu shook her head. "Actually, there are only a few people in Tokoi that know how to fight... we would have never expected Ekana to find a way over the mountains. This small group of warriors are all the men and women from Tokoi that really know how to use a sword... That's why we need to gather more allies." Then she smiled. "But don't worry, we have already visited many other kingdoms and most of them are ready to help us, as Ekana is planning to conquer all of Ja'an. We're almost finished with our journey, we only have to go to Fourincan, the fortress of the Steppe Riders. Please, come with us and tell them everything you have seen while travelling with Ekana's army, that might convince them to join our cause..."

"Okay, sounds great!"

Then Ranma had to think about something. Kasu unintentionally had made him remember the black general he had seen within the army of Yokot... Still, the memory of that warrior's dark aura gave him the creeps, so he told Kasu everything about her.

Every soldier sitting near them got silent after Ranma had finished his story.

"The Black Valkyrie..." Kasu murmured.

"You know her?" Ranma asked. Kasu shook her head. "Not really, but you have to know, there is a prophecy about a black general of the knights that one day will lead the army of Yokot to Ja'an... and that she will conquer it. The prophecy also says that she is an invincible enemy in combat."

Ranma froze. "But that's just a legend, isn't it? I mean, no one can be that strong..."

"Oh, but you told me that you felt the aura of darkness and doom that seemed to surround her, didn't you?"

Ranma looked down. Kasu was right, it had been a feeling of doom that had come to him every time he had looked at that dark general. And if the Black Valkyrie really was such a strong opponent...

Kasu stood up. "We have no time to lose. We have to leave and head for Fourincan immediately. It is only a matter of time until Ekana's troops reach the fortress. And if the Black Valkyrie is with them..."

She shuddered. "I don't want to imagine what would happen to them. Hurry, let's go!"


	6. The princess of Fourincan

Later that day, Ranma was riding alongside Kasu and her men, as they were leaving the hills and went out on the open plains of Ja'an... the land of the Steppe Riders.

Uko and Ryger were coming as well, walking on foot, behind the riders. They had easily enough stamina to keep up with the horses.

They had been riding for a long time without reaching any sign of civilization, so that Ranma started to wonder where exactly the Steppe Riders would be living.

Kasu looked at him from the side. "Ranma, you have to remember one important thing: The Steppe Riders are a tribe of very proud hunters and warriors, so reasoning with them can be... tricky. Leave most of the talking to me, okay?"

Ranma nodded. "Um, okay!"

Just then, they could see four riders approaching them from straight ahead. When they came closer, Kasu ordered her men to stop and wait for them.

Ranma realized that three of the riders were men, but the fourth one was a girl that looked very familiar to him... They were all wearing special clothes made from leather, and they were riding without any saddles. Also, he realized that they weren't carrying any weapons.

The four Steppe Riders stopped their horses and looked at Kasu's travelling group suspiciously. Then, the girl came forward and raised her hand in greeting. Kasu did the same.

"Greetings, Lady Kasu!" she said in a cold voice. "What a surprise... we certainly didn't expect your visit. But ou..." She paused. "My father wants you to know that he would be happy to welcome you within our fortress... He has much to discuss with you."

She then threw Ranma a glance. "Our scouts already told us that a black rider would be riding alongside your troops. I couldn't believe it, but I see that it is true. So, he is your prisoner, then?"

Kasu smiled. "No, Naki, he is an ally. He merely wears the black armor as a disguise... he had to hide among the black riders for some time."

Nabiki's double seemed to ponder this for a while, then nodded. "My father told me that I should welcome him as well if he turns out not to be one of Ekana's men... Please, let us escort you to our fortress, Fourincan!"

Kasu nodded. "It would be our pleasure."

And as the princess and the other Steppe Riders were riding ahead, Kasu, Ranma and the other were following them.

Ranma was very curious about why they didn't carry any weapon, and so he asked Kasu about it.

"The Steppe Riders might be the best riders in Ja'an, but they also fight only with their own bodies... They are the best martial artists in our world... You might be surprised at the princess Naki's skills."

"But if they can't use any ki..." Ranma wondered.

"They don't use ki... instead they use mana, the magical essence that is flowing through our world. In a sense, their fighting style is much more a type of magic, but I believe they would easily be able to use your own fighting techniques if you would teach them... But at first, they would have to teach you how to use the flow of mana instead of ki."

Ranma was excited. So, not all was lost. If he would be able to learn from the Steppe Riders, he still had a chance to save Akane from her evil double.

"I really hope they are ready to help us," Ranma murmured. As Kasu's allies, it would be much easier to convince one of them to teach him about their ways of fighting.

While Ranma was brooding, Kasu tipped him on the shoulder. "Ranma, look!"

Ranma looked up... and gasped at the incredible sight in front of him. They could finally see Fourincan...

But it almost looked like a mountain to him, a mountain that seemed to grow right out of the plains of Ja'an. It seemed to be as big as Yokot Fortress itself.

When they got closer, Ranma realized that most of the steppe fortress was made of wood... It was truly an impressive sight to behold.

When they entered through the giant gate, Ranma realized that there was an entire city within the fortress walls, wooden buildings that were all situated around the massive main building of Fourincan. Now it made sense to him: Every single member of the Steppe Rider tribe was living inside the walls of this fortress, that's the reason why they hadn't seen any other villages or towns on their way.

Kasu and her men were being lead right to the stables of the fortress, where the Steppe Riders were taking care of their horses.

Princess Naki then nodded towards Kasu. "Please, come this way... the Council of Sages is awaiting your presence." With a slightly colder gaze, she looked at Ranma. "You... are invited as well. Please come along..."

Before following Naki, Kasu looked at Uko and Ryger. "I'm sorry, you two... But I'm afraid it will be a little... difficult for you inside the building... can you wait outside?"

Uko grinned. "No problem! I would get claustrophobic inside those cramped rooms, anyways."

"Yeah," the black bear next to her nodded. "You go one ahead without us. We'll be fine!"

While they were following Naki and her men inside the main building, Ranma asked Kasu: "Say... Ryger and Uko seem to know you, is that true?"

"Oh, of course!" the High Mage of Tokoi smiled. "After all, I was the one who told them to look for you."

"Look for me?" Ranma wondered. "But I thought... I met them only by accident, did I?"

"I don't think so, Ranma... I asked them to look for you... they must have searched for you for some time before you arrived in the hills."

"Heh," Ranma grumbled. "I thought there was something odd about them... But why should you ask two squabblers like them to work together?"

"Squabblers?" Kasu wondered. "Uko and Ryger? Why, they are the best friends you could ever imagine. Although..." She smiled. "Sometimes, they can have a very weird sense of humor."

By now, Ranma was seriously debating giving the troll and the bear a serious kicking after returning from the council...

* * *

A servant girl was leading Ranma into a small chamber, where he could get ready until the council was ready to see him and Kasu. He also got fresh clothing... all made from leather. He wondered if he should wear the black armor again... but then he put it down in a corner of the room. Shortly after, Kasu came to pick him up, and the two of them went to the council chamber.

Two unarmed guards welcomed them in front of the big door, and lead them inside the room behind it.

It was a big, circular room with a round table in its middle. Around it, various people were sitting.

The Council of the Sages... Ranma really didn't know what to expect, but somehow, he had the image of a meeting of old men with long beards, wearing wide robes. But only some of the council's members were fitting that image. Some of their members were surprisingly young, and there was also a big number of warriors among them. To his surprise, he could also see Princess Naki sitting at the table, next to a middle-aged man with long hair and a mustache... the spitting image of Soun Tendo.

The man smiled when seeing his two guests. "I see your surprise, Ranma Saotome, and I say I can understand your confusion. But think of it: Does a human really have to be old to be wise? Very often, the forwardness and spontaneity of young people can be as efficient as the experience of the old people... But let's not digress. I welcome you to Fourincan, fortress of the Steppe Riders. I am Souvan, leader of my people, and member of the Council of Sages."

He turned to Kasu. "Welcome as well, Kasu, Lady of Tokoi... It's good to see you again."

Kasu smiled and bowed. "I am happy to be home again... father!"

Ranma was surprised for a moment, but then, it all made sense, didn't it? After all, Kasumi and Nabiki were sisters in his world as well, right?

But wait a minute... did that mean that Ekana...

Before he could finish that, Souvan interrupted his thoughts: "Please, have a seat... We have much to discuss."

"That is correct," Kasu said with a nod, as she and Ranma sat down at the table. "Ekana's army has already passed the Shadow Mountains, and is on its way to this fortress."

"I know," Souvan nodded. "Our scouts have told us about how the black knights are ravaging the country and plundering the villages of the outer regions... But don't worry. Fourincan is well protected... it has never fallen before." He made a fist. "As long as I'm alive, Fourincan will never fall into the hands of evil."

"Well, that's good to hear," Kasu said. "But, I have also come to ask for your help... as you know, the forces of Tokoi aren't that numerous, so I was travelling through all of Ja'an, to find more allies. So forgive me if I have to ask this right away, father... but can we hope for your aid as well?"

The leader of Fourincan looked at his daughter with a frown. "As much as I would like to aid your city as well, daughter... I cannot! Now, as Ekana and her army are approaching, every single Steppe Rider is needed here. If we leave Fourincan, it will be doomed... and all of the kingdoms behind our lands as well. We might be able to defeat Ekana's army if we join forces with you at Tokoi, but at what price? Fourincan would fall, and that is something I just cannot allow. Do you understand?"

Ranma stood up. "Listen! I saw Ekana's army, I WAS there... and there are just too many of her men. You can't defeat her all by yourself, even within this fortress."

"Nonsense!" Naki had also stood up by now. "There had been countless attacks on our fortress, by bandits, by the northern barbarians... And in the end, we were able to defeat them all. Fourincan..."

"...will fall," Ranma said with determination. "Trust me! I've seen your fortress, and while it is impressive... Ekana's army is just too strong for you. But if you join with the men of Tokoi, and all of their allies, you have a chance."

"There hasn't been a black knight that had been able to defeat a Steppe Rider in combat," Naki claimed.

"Oh, really?" Ranma furrowed his brow. "And would you say the same about... the Black Valkyrie?"

Naki wasn't the only one to gasp upon hearing that. "W-what did you say?" Souvan finally managed to ask.

Kasu nodded. "It's true, father... I didn't want to believe it, but Ranma saw her, when he was hiding among Ekana's men. She is the gerenal of the black army."

"That... that cannot be," Naki insisted. "You know that! It has to be another warrior of Yokot. Baron Koan..."

"I know Koan," Ranma told her. "It WAS the Black Valkyrie, I'm certain of it. And I tell you this: If she attacks this fortress and you're planning to fight by yourself, you will be defeated. That's all I have to say." And he stood up and left.

After leaving the room, he groaned. Now they wouldn't ever join Tokoi's alliance... what was he thinking, talking like that to Kasu's sister?

Some time later, Kasu came out of the room. She looked at him. "They are debating about our conversation... You know, what you said has really impressed them. There still might be a chance that they will change their mind."

"And what about Naki?" Ranma asked.

Kasu gave him a sad smile. "My sister... has always been the most stubborn one. It's not your fault, Ranma... but I'm afraid we just can't wait for their decision."

"We can't?" Ranma wondered.

Kasu shook her head. "No, we have to hurry and return to Tokoi... there might be the slight chance that Ekana decides to leave Fourincan alone for now and attacks Tokoi first. So, now that I have visited every kingdom I wanted... including my old home lands... I have to return to Tokoi. Father said he understands... he will send us a messenger who will tell us about his decision."

"I hope they will change their mind..." Ranma mumbled. "I didn't lie about Ekana's forces... they are more than enough to defeat the Steppe Riders if they decide to fight alone."

Kasumi sighed. "My people have always been the first to be attacked when an evil force is about to invade... and they are closer to the Shadow Mountains than every other kingdom. Ekana's influence has always been strong here..."

"Um... Kasu... About Ekana... Is she also..."

"We have to go," Kasu quickly interrupted, turning away from him. "Let's tell the others we're leaving."

Was it just Ranma's imagination... or was Kasu evading his question deliberately?

* * *

Several Steppe Riders had prepared a small number of boats that should bring Kasu, Ranma and the others to Tokoi. The Lost River, one of the longest rivers in Ja'an, was running near Fourincan and ended directly where Tokoi was situated.

While Kasu boarded the first boat, Ranma joined Uko and Ryger on the third boat.

"Hey, Ranma-honey!" the troll-girl greeted him. "What's up?"

Ranma didn't reply immediately and watched how the small fleet of boats was slowly drifting down the river.

"I've been tricked by two big liars, that's up," he finally grumbled.

Uko and Ryger looked at each other and gulped. Uko laughed nervously. "Well, there are several things we could have told you..."

"What?" Ranma turned around. "That you actually knew each other? That you had been sent to search for me? Or that I really didn't have to babysit two of the biggest dopes I've ever met?"

Ryger raised his paw, as he sat down on his haunches. "Listen, Ranma... It's true that we should have told you the truth right away, but... How should we have known that it was you? You were dressed in a black knight's armor and didn't say anything that you knew Kasu."

"He's right, Ranma," Uko nodded. "I'm sorry that we were messing around with ya... but we just couldn't know."

"All right, I understand," Ranma sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, too... I'm just kinda disappointed, you know? Those Steppe Riders... why didn't they join us right away? True, I can understand that they don't want to sacrifice their home, but..."

"Hey, cheer up," Uko smiled. "At least they said they would think about it for a while... Perhaps they'll follow us the next day."

"Maybe..." Ranma looked down into the water. "Wow, this water sure is clean... where does the river come from? From the Shadow Mountains?"

Ryger shook his head. "No, it's coming from the northern mountains... However, some people say that it flows through underground tunnels for a while after reaching the Tokoi lake... And that's the reason why it's called the Lost River, understand?"

Ranma didn't respond right away... because at that moment, a big wave splashed right into his face.

Ranma spit out some water. Uko giggled. "You know, perhaps you shouldn't step so closely to the ship's rail..."

Ranma blinked and looked down at his hands. He then patted his chest... Was that for real?

"Th-they're... they're gone..." he whispered. "Can it really be...?"

Uko and Ryger looked at him in bewilderment. "Ranma? Are you all right?"

The wet, black-haired boy grinned madly and began jumping up and down. "Whoohoo! It's gone! It's gone! Nevah-gonna-be-a-girl-again, nevah-gonna-be-a-girl-again..."

Ryger sweatdropped. "I think Ranma finally blew a fuse..." he grumbled.

* * *

Shortly after, Ranma had told his new friends everything about his curse... but he still couldn't figure out why it didn't work anymore.

"You should ask Kasu as soon as we reach Tokoi," Uko suggested. "She knows much about magical stuff..."

"Yeah," Ranma nodded, still grinning. "But perhaps... hey, maybe it's because I left my real body behind in Nerima! And with it, my curse!"

Ryger tipped his head with a claw. "Now he's talking nonsense again..." the black bear grumbled.

"But who cares?" Ranma giggled. "Even if I still have to bother with my curse after returning home... as long as I'm here, I won't let it bother me! Whoohoo, nevah-gonna-be-a-girl-again..."

"Hey, we arrive shortly," one of the sailors suddenly shouted. "Wait a minute and you'll be able to see Tokoi..."

Ranma stopped wondering and curiously looked ahead. The river was just going around a big hill... and when the boats had passed it, the white towers of Tokoi were appearing behind the hill...

Ranma looked at the enormous capital in amazement. Tokoi was lying right in the middle of an enormous lake, on a big island... And it was truly a sight to behold. It was completely surrounded by an impressive, defensive wall. Every single building within those walls was a gleaming white, and towered over the lake's smooth surface like giant icicles that were growing from the ground...

But most impressive was the gorgeous castle that rose in the middle on the city, even bigger than Yokot or Fourincan... gleaming brighter than every other building on the island... The palace of Tokoi!

"It looks just like the castle on Akane's picture..." Ranma murmured.


	7. A dragon's heart

While the boats were docking at the harbor of Tokoi, Ranma looked upwards... it was impressive to see how the white towers of the town rose above their heads.

But Ranma didn't take his time to enjoy the sight... he jumped out of the boat and hurried over to the first boat, where Kasu was just disembarking.

"Kasu, something incredible happened... I got splashed with water and... and it's gone! My curse is gone!"

Kasu looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Your curse? What do you mean?"

"Ya know, my Jusenkyou curse... The one that turns me into a girl when hit with cold water. Surely Akane told you about this... did she?"

"Ah yes, I remember! But what do you mean, it's gone?"

"I dunno... I got splashed in the face with water... and I stayed the same! Could this be because this is a spiritual world?"

"Might be..." Kasu murmured. "But... from what I know, the Jusenkyou curse must have also affected your mind to a certain degree... this is very peculiar..."

"Maybe we can find a way to make it permanent... that would be great!"

"I'll think about it, but right now I'm very busy, Ranma... we don't have much time left. Ekana's army can attack any day now... and we still have so much to discuss. I think we'll hold a meeting in the palace this afternoon... Ranma, please, you have to come as well. You can tell us many important facts about her army, right?"

Ranma sighed. Kasu was right, the black knights were the bigger problem now... "Okay, I understand... When should I come?"

"In three hours, okay? I'll see you in the palace... Uko, why don't you and Ryger show him the city?"

"Good idea," the green-skinned girl nodded.

Just then, one of Kasu's grey-robed counselors appeared. "My lady, here you are! Come quick, a delegate of the nordic hunters has arrived and wants to speak with you."

"Oh my," Kasu said. "So much to do, so much to do..." And she followed the counselor.

Ranma watched her as she disappeared in the crowd. Uko playfully nudged his shoulder... her incredible strength nearly made him fall over. "What d'ya say... wanna see the town?"

"Yeah, okay?" Ranma nodded. "Lead the way... wait a minute! Where's Ryger?"

They looked around. The eternally lost bear was nowhere to be seen. Uko groaned. "Great, we've just arrived and he already managed to get lost..."

"I hope he is still in town," Ranma sighed. If his sense of direction was as bad as Ryoga's, he could easily be out of town by now.

Just then, they heard a terrified yell... and the fearful growl of a bear. Ranma and Uko looked at each other.

"Ryger!"

Uko ran ahead through the streets, pushing the pedestrians out of the way with her colossal body. Ranma followed her and made sure not to lose sight of her... although her impressive size made that kinda impossible.

"I think I know where he is," said Uko after entering a narrow alley. "Ryger, you stupid fuzz-head... Why did you have to go there of all places?"

"Why, what's wrong? Where is he?"

When they entered a massive backyard, Uko stopped suddenly, so Ranma nearly ran against her legs. He looked past her and saw an enormous archway leading into a giant hall. And Ryger's voice came from there...

"Why, oh why did he have to come here of all places?" the troll groaned again.

And then, Ryger appeared... He ran on all fours, with a terrified expression on his furry face. "H-help! Help meeee..."

"What's up? Who's following you?" Ranma shouted.

And then, IT appeared... a monstrous beast that seemed to only be made of shimmering scales, gleaming fangs, fiery eyes and a thrashing tail... and it was more than twice as big as Ryger and Uko!

Ryger tried jumping away, but the long forelegs of the golden dragon scooped him up like a small teddy bear... and then the beast clutched him to its chest, tightly!

GLOMP!

"AIREN! WO AI NI!"

Ranma just stared at the absurd scene in front of him... That unbelievably BIG, golden-scaled dragon had scooped up the not exactly tiny form of Ryger as if he were just a small toy... but that wasn't the only thing that freaked him out. More important was the fact that this dragon spoke with SHAMPOO'S VOICE!!

Also, the way she was glomping poor Ryger remembered Ranma too, too much of his own encounters with the purple-haired amazon...

Ryger struggled wildly against the dragon's grip. "GAH! Shamu! Lemme go!"

Uko groaned and shook her head. "Ryger... do you have to let her hang over yourself like that?"

"HEY!" the bear protested. "It's not like I WANT her to, y'know?"

"Oh Airen," the female dragon sighed as she nuzzled Ryger's head. "Shamu miss you soooo much... Now we go on date, yes?"

"Just... what... the heck... is going on here?" Ranma stuttered.

Uko threw the amorous dragon an icy glare. "Ranma, meet Shamu... the last one of the golden dragons, and the largest resident of Tokoi. She's an old friend of Kasu and..." She frowned. "She sees herself as Ryger's fiancee!"

"Is my husband," the dragon purred after putting the dizzy bear back on the backyard's floor. She gave him a playful nudge with her muzzle. "He such a cute widdle teddy-bear, isn't he?"

"Shamu, for the last time: I am NOT your fiancee!"

"Ooooh, Airen is playing hard to get... Shamu love you!"

Ranma coughed. "Um, excuse me..."

The dragon raised her head (which was as big as a small bus) and stretched it forward to have a better look at Ranma. "Who you?"

"This is Ranma," Uko explained. "You know... Akane's fiance from Nerima."

"Ah, Shamu remember... You that boy from the other world, is right? Shamu happy to meet you. So, you here to help against violent girl's army?"

Ranma blinked in confusion, then he realized that Shamu must have meant Ekana, not Akane. "Well, I'll try to do my best..."

He took a closer look at Shamu. While the building she came out of was one of the biggest in the whole town, it wasn't big enough for her to spread her wings. Also, while she still spoke with Shampoo's Chinese accent, her body looked more like that of a European dragon instead of a Chinese dragon. A cloud of hot air surrounded Ranma, as she exhaled.

"Have to excuse me," Shamu grinned (showing thousands of razor sharp teeth). "Shamu live for a long time in Tokoi, but still can't speak human language very good... Is too, too difficult, yes?" She yawned and lay down to the ground, cuddling against her fiance's furry body... and Ryger almost fell over.

She put down her head on her forepaws and looked at Ranma. "So, you have escaped from Yokot, yes? Impressive, I must say..."

Ranma was baffled. "How do you...?" Then he understood. "You're reading my thoughts?"

"Most dragons are telepaths, at least to a certain degree," Uko explained.

"Is helpful many times," Shamu nodded. "Would think Ranma is liar if I could not read your mind..." She yawned again, blowing another stream of hot air in Ranma's direction. "Excuse please... Am very tired. Have made too, too many scouting flights, yes?"

She smiled affectionately at Ryger. "Have to talk to you later, Airen... I must go to sleep for now, yes? See you all later..."

And she turned around, very swiftly for someone that big. Her tail almost made Uko trip, but the troll-girl managed to skip over it.

As the golden dragon walked back through the archway, Ranma scratched his head.

"Well," he finally said. "You definitely have some interesting friends..."

* * *

During the following hours, Ranma and his new friends walked through the streets of Tokoi, taking a good look at the majestic buildings, the busy people and the everyday life of the residents. They visited the market, city hall and the harbor, until it was finally time to go to Kasu's meeting.

"I think I'll stay outside again," Ryger grumbled when they were standing in front of the beautiful palace. "I don't like going in buildings..."

"Okay, catch ya later then," Ranma nodded and followed Uko inside.

A guard welcomed them and lead them to the big meeting room within the middle tower of the palace. When Uko and Ranma entered the big, rectangular room, they realized that they were the only ones that had arrived as of now.

"They should be here pretty soon," the guard said. "Please, be patient and wait." And then he closed the door.

Ranma looked around. The walls of the room were as white as in every building in Tokoi. There was an enormous table in the middle of the room, with many chairs standing around it. Numerous high archways lead outside on a big balcony. On the opposite side of that balcony, he could see an impressive podium that was covered with a colorful carpet. A set of marmoreal stairs led up to the podium, and in its middle, there was a wooden chair.

Standing up there, it almost looked like a throne. But, unlike the massive, black throne in Yokot Fortress, it looked kinda plain. Its seating place as well as its backrest were cushioned with red pads. On the left and right side of the backseat, two wooden raven heads were crafted inside the polished wood.

"The Throne of Ja'an..." Uko murmured. Ranma walked up the stairs and inspected the piece of furniture

"So, this is Kasu's throne?" he asked.

Uko shook her head. "You didn't listen... I said: 'The Throne of Ja'an', not 'The Throne of Kasu'!"

"But, isn't Kasu your..."

"Our queen?" Uko chuckled. "Sure, we call her 'Lady of Tokoi', but she really isn't our ruler. Fact is, we don't really have a true ruler, even if we call ourselves a 'kingdom'. Kasu may be a leader of some sorts, but actually no one is compelled to listen to her. There are some laws, and the soldiers of Tokoi make sure that the people listen to them... but Kasu wasn't the person who made the laws... The residents are coming up with them themselves, the ideas are discussed, and if most of the members of the town committee agree, it will be declared a new law."

Interesting way to govern a country, Ranma thought. But, if it works out, why not?

He looked down at the cushioned seat of the throne. "Can I... can I sit down here for a while?"

Uko nodded. "Sure! The throne isn't really the seat for a certain person... all citizens of Tokoi can make the laws, so somehow, everyone is the ruler. So I guess no one would complain if you sit down there for a second." She grinned.

Ranma sat down on Ja'an's throne and leaned back with a sigh. An empty chair... Yes, that's really a good symbol for a country whose residents make their own decisions...

Just then, the door to the room opened and Kasu entered, followed by several other people. She walked over to the table, but stopped when she saw Ranma sitting on the throne.

Nervously, Ranma stood up again. "I just... wanted to sit down for a while..."

Kasumi shrugged and smiled. "Of course, why not? I think that's no problem... but now the meeting is about to start, so perhaps you should sit down with us at the table..."

"Yeah, okay," he nodded and joined Kasu and the others. Uko just sat down in a comfy corner of the room.

Kasu introduced Ranma to her companions... noblemen, tribe leaders and important representatives of other kingdoms.

Just as Kasu was about to start the meeting, something that made the impression of a golden waterfall descended outside and landed on the big balcony.

Kasu looked outside and smiled. "Shamu! How nice of you to come! I hope you're not too uncomfortable out there..."

The golden dragon shrugged. "No worries! If is too cramped, Shamu can always make some room." And she giggled.

The crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling swayed lightly at the voice of the dragon. Kasu frowned.

"Careful, Shamu, this building has been made for humans, not dragons."

Shamu giggled even louder, so that the table began to shake lightly. A painting that was hanging on one wall fell down to the floor.

Kasu sighed. "I believe you're the only living being in Ja'an that is able to laugh its opponents to death..." she murmured, but made sure that Shamu didn't hear it.

She coughed. "Well then, let's begin... Messengers have informed us that Ekana's army has split up. One half is approaching the land of the Steppe Riders, while the other half is coming our way..."

"That's not too bad," the chief of a northern tribe who was clothed in fur and leather pointed out. "If she only sends one half of her army, we can defeat her more easily."

The high mage of Tokoi sighed. "Well, that's exactly our problem... Ekana has so many knights within her army that splitting her forces up like this won't be a big problem for her. As far as we know, she has brought every single resident of the Shadow Realm that is under her control."

Multiple gasps. "Goodness..." a count whispered. "All of them..."

"You see our problem," Kasu nodded. "Even if we take all of our forces, and even if the Steppe Riders had decided to join us, we won't have enough to defeat her."

"But, hey..." Ranma spoke up. "Didn't you tell me that Na'aj isn't bigger than Ja'an? So how come she has so much more warriors in her army?"

"I already told you, Ranma... Most of Ja'ans residents don't know how to fight. Ekana has forced every single man and woman within her realm to enter her army... and do you really want to force the peaceful farmers, workers and other citizens of Ja'an to fight as soldiers?"

Ranma lowered his head. "No... of course not..."

"But... but... can't we at least negotiate with the dark mistress?" one of the noblemen asked with desperation. "What are her demands for capitulation?"

"She has none!"

"Beg your pardon?"

"It's true," Kasu sighed. "Ekana doesn't make any demands... she just wants to conquer this country, and every living human in Ja'an has to join her side as a dark slave or will be killed. There is no bargaining with her..." She shrugged. "I think we should get used to the idea that our country is doomed..."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Ranma stood up. "You just want to give up?"

"Well, what choice do we have? If you have a good idea, we would be glad to hear it."

Ranma just wanted to answer, when suddenly, a strange sound echoed through the room... It almost sounded like the ringing of a big bell... and it came from the throne.

Ranma suddenly turned around and walked to the podium. Standing in front of the throne, he began talking in a strange, emotionless voice:

"When all hope is gone

and Ja'an meets its demise

the shadows will rule

and dark mistress Ekana will rise.

But even in those dark times,

when evil will bloom,

an outsider hero will come

to save Ja'an from its doom.

He will take lead

as his courage glows

and he will find the way

to the master... the King of the Rainbows!"

The strange sound went still again and Ranma staggered forward with a groan. He blinked multiple times. "What... what happened?"

"The Oracle..." Kasu said in awe. "It spoke through your mouth."

"The Oracle?"

Uko nodded from her sitting space. "A legend says that in dark times, the two raven heads will speak and tell us how to save Ja'an."

"A legend?" Ranma asked. "Like the Black Valkyrie?"

Kasu didn't answer. "The King of the Rainbows..." she murmured.

"Who is that?" Ranma wanted to know.

"They say that he is the most powerful sorcerer of Ja'an, living at the edge of the world, in a castle that is even more gorgeous than Tokoi itself. They also say that he has sworn to grant anyone who manages to reach his castle a wish."

"But then... then..." Ranma was ecstatic. "Then we're saved. If he is really as powerful as you say... We can ask him to free us from Ekana's army... and he also can save Akane!"

"There's just one problem, Ranma..." Uko pointed out.

"What? You don't know where to find his castle?"

"No, the path is known to us," Kasu explained. "But... no one has ever managed to reach his castle. Everyone who tried it failed, or didn't even return. So, we don't even know if his castle exists... or if it is another legend. Also, the way is much too dangerous... and long. Even if we would reach him, it would be too late."

"But it's our last chance," Ranma said impatiently. "Even if it is dangerous, it's a risk we have to take."

Kasu thought about it, but then shook her head. "No, Ranma... it would take many brave men to overcome the obstacles on the way... and we just cannot give up valuable soldiers when Ekana is that close to our capital. And I really doubt that this king actually exists..."

"Well, Kasu..." Shamu called from outside. "You have to remember: Every legend has to come from somewhere, right? And you said that there is no other way to save Tokoi, yes? So, why not try to go?"

"I know you dragons are ready to believe in prophecies," Kasu said. "But don't you see the big risk?"

"Well, what kind of obstacles are there anyway?" Ranma wanted to know.

"First, there's the long way... and Ekana's knights could ambush you any time... You have to go to the Gorge of Souls, then follow the Lost River, at it's most torrential point... and even then you have to cross the Solitude of Ice, and meet with the Frost Giants at their castle..."

"The Gorge of Souls?" Ranma asked. "What's that?"

"It is an enormous and very deep canyon in the northern part of our world, so deep that you can't see it's bottom. Inside this canyon lives a horrible creature..."

"He not thaaat horrible," Shamu muttered.

Kasu ignored that remark. "The creature that lives within the Gorge of Souls is the Tatzelwurm, the most dangerous creature that lives within Ja'an..."

"What's a Tatzelwurm?" Ranma asked.

"Is too too imbecile member of Shamu's species," the golden dragon hissed.

"A dragon," Kasu explained. "An enormous monster that will eat anyone who is reckless enough to enter his domain... And he knows no mercy."

"Well, Shamu has defeated him once..." Shamu pointed out.

"No!" Kasu said with determination. "I forbid it! It's too dangerous! And I don't want to hear anything of it anymore, you hear me?"

"Hey!" Uko suddenly said as she looked out of the windows. "Would you take a look at that?"

Ranma and Kasu came over and looked outside as well. Uko gestured towards the river. "You see that?"

Ranma only saw a number of dark spots that were coming down the river. "I think those are... boats. Many, many boats!"

"Dragons can see much better than humans," Shamu said. "Is fleet of Steppe Riders. Very big fleet, right?"

"Yes," Kasu murmured. "I wonder what has happened..."

"Lets go to the harbor and find out," Ranma said and ran for the door.

* * *

While Kasu, Ranma and a troop of her men were leaving the castle and hurried down to the harbor, the ships of the Riders already landed at the harbor.

When Ranma and Kasu reached the harbor, they could see just how badly wounded most of the Steppe Riders were.

"By the gods..." Kasu groaned. She instructed her men to take care of the wounded.

Ranma peered through the crowd. "There's Naki," he finally said, and he and Kasu moved through the masses of onlookers and helpers until they reached the biggest of the ships.

Princess Naki had been put on a stretcher by several strong men. Kasu knelt down next to her sister. "Naki! Sister! What happened?"

Naki coughed. "Fourincan... Fourincan has... fallen!"

The white mage gasped, while Ranma let out a silent curse. "Are there any more survivors?" Kasu asked. "Are more ships coming?"

Naki shook her head. "No one... we were the last... survivors... everyone else... everyone is dead..."

Kasu looked at her with shimmering eyes. "And... and father...?"

Naki didn't respond, but lowered her head. Kasu let out a small sob. "May the gods take care of his soul..." she finally whispered.

Naki looked at Ranma. "You... you were right. We... we didn't stand a chance against the black army. At first, we managed to win every single battle. But after the first wave, there came another. And another... After that, I lost count... We still might have won, if it wasn't for the Black Valkyrie..."

"The Black Valkyrie?" Kasu said with a shocked voice. "Did you meet her?"

"I only saw her from afar, on the battlefield... and she was stronger than five of our strongest men. No one was able to stop her... she massacred anyone who stood in her way... There's no way..." Naki desperately grabbed her sister's robe convulsively... "No way we can't beat her... We're helpless! We're..." And then, she fell down on the stretcher.

"She's unconscious," a healer told Kasu. "She will be fine... a few days of rest, and she will be as healthy as ever."

While the healers were taking Naki to their quarters, Kasu let out a sigh.

Ranma looked over the waters of Tokoi's lake and growled. They had to stop Ekana and the Black Valkyrie... and he knew just the way how to do it.

'Wait for me, Akane...' he thought to himself. 'Just a little longer... until I have returned from the castle of the Rainbow King.'

* * *

Later that day, Ranma went to the healer's quarters in town, alone. He wanted to pay Naki a visit.

He knew Naki was on the upper floor of the big building, so he just went upstairs. But before he could enter the room, a healer came out of the door. The white-robed man stopped Ranma with his outstretched hand. "I'm sorry, Lord Saotome... But the princess has to rest."

"I know," Ranma said. "I just wanted to visit her."

When the man didn't move aside, Ranma smiled. "It's all right... Kasu knows I'm here."

That was a lie, and Ranma instantly felt guilty, but the man sighed and nodded. Ranma went inside and closed the door behind him.

Naki was lying on the big bed, her upper body wrapped in bandages. Her leather armor was leaning in one corner of the room. Her eyes were closed.

Ranma thought she would sleep and pondered if he should come later. But then, without opening her eyes, Naki said: "It was a poisonous arrow that hit me."

Ranma stepped forward. "Are you... are you feeling better?"

Naki opened her eyes and looked at him. "Yes, the healers managed to extract the venom out of my body... I just need some rest."

"I'm sorry... I should leave." Ranma said, but Kasu's younger sister shook her head. "No, that's all right... Please stay, it has been pretty boring since I was here."

She gestured at the end of her bed, and Ranma sat down.

Naki smirked when she looked at his face. "So... you're Akane's fiance, huh?"

"You know her?" Ranma asked in surprise. Naki nodded. "Yeah, she really was something else... She always told me about her sister... about the similarities Nabiki and I had, and also the differences."

Ranma hesitated. "Did she... did she ever meet someone who looks like me... Here in Ja'an, I mean?"

Naki shook her head. "No, but I think she didn't need some double in exchange for you... as far as I could tell, you always seemed to be someone special to her."

Ranma grinned. "I'd have guessed she would call me an insensitive jerk, and a macho..."

Naki snickered. "Yeah, actually, she called you that... But I could feel that she didn't mean it... You know how they say that lovers always prattle? I believe it is true..." She sighed. "It was a fun time with her, even if she reminds me of my own..." She looked down, in the corner of the room. "My own younger sister..."

Ranma gasped. Could it be? "You... you mean..."

Naki gave him a weak smile. "Ekana? So you already guessed it, huh? But yeah, Ekana is Kasu's and my younger sister."

"But how... How could she turn into the ruler of the Shadow Realm?"

"I can't say for sure... We always had different ideas about life. But somehow, we managed to get along. Until one day, Ekana suddenly disappeared." Naki sighed. "And only a few days later, the Shadow Mountains appeared... and with them, Yokot and the Shadow Realm."

"Have you seen her since then?" Ranma asked. Naki shook her head.

"No... but I don't think that it would have made any difference. Still, knowing that it is your sister you're fighting isn't as easy as it might sound... That's why I was so glad when Akane came into our realm... Somehow, she acted as Ekana's... substitute."

Ranma scratched his head. This whole subject made him feel uncomfortable...

"Listen, Naki... we don't know each other very well, but I'm here to ask a favor of you... Of course, after you feel better."

"I think I already know what you want... You want me to train you in our way of fighting, huh?"

Ranma nodded. "Well, yeah... Martial Arts was always the only way of fighting I knew... and you know, fencing really isn't my style... And Kasu told me that you use mana instead of ki... So, could you show me how to do it?"

Naki smirked. "Hey... can I say 'no' to the fiance of one of my best friends? Sure, I'll be happy to."

Ranma grinned. "Great! So, um... Hope you feel better soon. See ya!"

He stood up and wanted to leave.

Naki called him back: "Ranma... you're thinking about going to the Rainbow King, are you?"

Ranma stopped. "How... how do you know?"

Naki sighed. "Kasu told me what happened in the throne room... So, you really are determined to go?"

Ranma nodded. "Yes! It may only be a slight chance, but a chance we have to take. I saw Ekana's army, and from what you told me, what I saw was only part of her whole forces. So Tokoi would have no chances of winning, right?"

"We should have left Fourincan instantly to come with you to Tokoi..." the princess grumbled. "That way, we could have saved the others. You know, after you left, the council pondered if we should leave right away or not. In the end, the majority voted for staying, to fight against the black knights."

Naki looked at Ranma grimly. "You wanna know how many people made up this majority?" She laughed bitterly. "One person, Ranma! I was the only one that wanted to stay and fight... and in the end, the others listened to me, even my father."

She sobbed with anger. "I could have... prevented this tragedy from happening... my father would've been still alive... It was all my fault..."

Ranma felt sorry for her and wanted to comfort the princess, but suddenly, she glared at him with a fierce look. "That's why I'm coming with you, Ranma! I have to make up for my past mistakes... I know the way to the end of the world as well as Kasu does... and I'm going to lead you there. Please, try not to talk me out of it. I have to do that!"

Ranma looked at her, then nodded. "I understand... And I need a guide, after all." He grinned. "I think I would get lost as Ryger if I would try to find the way by myself. And on the way, you can train me, how does that sound?"

She grinned back. "All right. Then it is settled... When I'm feeling better, I'll come to your room in the castle... and then we can talk about how we're going to do this."

"Sounds good!" Ranma stood up. "Now, as I said: Hope you're feeling better soon!"

Naki looked back at him and smirked in a very Nabiki-like way. "Don't worry, Ranma... you just gave me a reason to get well pretty soon. See you then!"


	8. Flying North

As stealthily as possible, Ranma sneaked into the stables.

He was very careful not to wake up the horses, so they in turn wouldn't wake up the other residents of the castle.

It was two days after his first conversation with Naki... Shortly after their talk she had felt much better, they also had secretly agreed to meet in the royal stables... tonight.

Tonight was the night when they would leave for the North of the country... to start their journey to the Rainbow King.

Carefully, he approached his own horse. The black stallion woke when Ranma approached him and neighed softly. Ranma put a hand on his muzzle and whispered: "Ssshhh... It's okay, Boy... it's just me!"

But just as he was going to saddle his horse, a dark shape appeared in the entrance of the stable.

"So, you just plan to bail, do you?" a cheeky female voice asked.

Startled, Ranma turned around.

A big troll-girl stood in the entrance, carrying her massive club on her shoulder, and wearing a confident smirk.

"U... Uko?" Ranma asked.

"And Ryger," a gruff voice that came from behind her added. "You thought you were pretty clever when you decided to leave without telling us anything, right?"

"Perhaps we should just tell Kasu you're down here," Uko grinned.

Ranma sighed and came out to join them. "Quit the stupid jokes... now what are you two doing here?"

Ryger shook his head in amusement. "What does it look like? We make sure that you don't make the worst mistake of your life..."

"That's right," Uko nodded. "So we decided to join you and make sure you don't get in any trouble."

Ranma sighed. "Kasu doesn't know you two are here, right?" he guessed.

"Of course not, I invited them to come along," another voice came out of the darkness.

Ranma failed to see the third person through the darkness, but he already recognized her voice. "Naki..."

The princess of Fourincan approached them, smirking as her two companions did. "I told you we would meet here tonight, right? Now, are you ready to go?"

Ranma nodded and then looked at the figures of the troll and the bear. "You two know it's going to be pretty dangerous, do you?"

"Danger? Hah!" Ryger snorted. "If it's about Ekana's knights, I'll be glad to smash some of their helmets between my paws."

"And the rest of them will get a taste of my club," Uko added.

Naki (who was already in her leather armor) took a look at Ranma's steed. "I'm sorry, Ranma, but I'm afraid you will have to leave your friend behind..."

"Why?" Ranma asked. "He can run faster than most of the horses in this stable, I saw it."

"I suppose you're right." Naki grinned. "But I don't think he will be quite fast enough to keep up with the mount I have prepared..."

And shortly afterwards, the four friends were sitting safely on Shamu's broad back, while the golden dragon carried them northwards, faster than any horse could've carried them.

Very soon, the castle and city of Tokoi were nothing more than a tiny little spot of light that disappeared in the distance...

* * *

At the beginning of their flight, Ranma had no doubts that they would succeed in their mission... What should probably go wrong? Sitting on a dragon's back, no one would ever be able to catch up with them. And if Shamu wasn't enough, their enemies also had to deal with the power of a black bear, the might of a troll, the fighting skills of a Steppe Rider... and him.

But very soon he should realize that even the mightiest of heroes weren't invincible... Also, Shamu couldn't carry them all the time. More than often, they had to take small breaks, as the dragon wasn't used to carry that many passengers on her back... Also, Ryger and Uko weren't exactly the lightest people in Ja'an.

They spent their first night after leaving Tokoi on a desolate plateau... according to Naki, still two thirds of their journey to the Gorge of Souls was ahead of them.

After Naki, Ranma and Ryger had hopped down from Shamu's back, Uko got ready to climb down... But it seemed she was too slow for Shamu's tastes, so she shook the troll-girl off with her wing.

Uko landed on the stony ground with a heavy 'thud'.

"Hey!" she shouted angrily. "You like pushing other people around just because you're bigger?"

"Uko must climb faster," Shamu grumbled. "Having so many people sitting on her back, it makes Shamu feel like she has fleas..." And then she turned around her massive head and lay down to sleep.

"Excuse her," Naki apologized to Uko. "Dragons tend to be a little brash because of their size... Since they are the biggest beings of Ja'an, no one ever dares to teach them some manners."

"Shamu hear that," the dragon grumbled.

Meanwhile, Ryger had taken a look at the place. "Looks safe to stay for the night," he finally said. "But we should make a fire, it sure gets cold on nights like this..."

"Wouldn't the fire attract Ekana's soldiers?" Ranma wondered.

Naki shook her head. "We're on a high plateau, Ranma... they probably wouldn't even be able to see it, least of all reach us."

"Well, if you say so..."

Naki walked over to Shamu and kicked her leg... the golden dragon didn't seem to notice it.

"Hey, you sleepy lizard... we need some fire!" she shouted.

"Why not bash those two boneheads together?" Shamu grumbled, gesturing at Uko and Ryger. "Perhaps it makes spark..."

But then, she actually turned around her head and opened her mouth wide, as if she was going to yawn...

And then, a jet of scorching hot fire shot out of her muzzle, igniting the small pile of wood Ryger had arranged. Within seconds, a bright fire was burning.

"Sleepy lizard, huh?" Shamu grumbled. "We talk about this in the morning..." And she put her head down to sleep again.

"She's always so grumpy when she's tired..." Naki groaned.

* * *

That night, they were all sleeping deeply... Confidant that no one would be able to track them down up there, they had no reason to keep watch...

And while the five of them were snoring, they didn't realize the lonely figure of a winged creature that was watching them from the skies...

Tora, the winged Minotaur, chuckled as he saw the five sleeping figures. "So, trying to reach the Rainbow King, are we? Well, this surely will be of interest for that buffoon Koan and his mistress..."

Chuckling, the flying beast turned around and flew back to the forces that summoned him... pleased that he only had to answer the call of the flute one more time before he could reclaim what was rightfully his...

* * *

The icy breeze of the north wind blew over the shivering bodies of the four dragon riders, while the legendary beast carried them further north.

After a night that had been too short for either of them, they had decided to leave early so they could put a long distance of travelling behind them during this day. Even if Shamu herself was flying slower than normally (she wasn't used to the sheer coldness of the north), Naki was certain that they should be able to reach the Gorge of Souls soon.

But things turned out quite differently from what they had planned...

About noon, they were crossing a wide, flat landscape that was made of plain grassland and several fields, the northernmost signs of human civilization...

Suddenly, Shamu made a sharp turn and flew into a different direction than previously. Uko, who was sitting directly behind the dragon's forelegs, shouted something over the loud wind torrents. Shamu answered, but Ranma couldn't understand either of them.

"What's up?" Naki yelled.

Uko turned around her head. "Black Ones!" she yelled back and gestured towards the east, where a black mass of black-armored riders was covering the land.

"What are they doing here, so far in the north?" Ryger shouted.

"Looks like they're assaulting that farm over there... perhaps Ekana wants to take over every other part of Ja'an, before attacking Tokoi."

"I take it Shamu is planning to help them out," Ranma guessed. "Well, I'm for it... those farmers don't stand a chance!"

They had no real choice, as Shamu seemed determined to fight the assaulters, no matter what her riders' opinion would be.

After diving down at the small troop of Black Knights, Shamu landed with a massive impact that seemed to shake the earth. After her four friends jumped off her back, she immediately took off again and attacked the surprised Black Knights from above.

"Okay, Ranma," Naki shouted as she raised her fists. "Let's see if our training has paid off!"

"I'm with you, sensei!" Ranma nodded. Although their journey had only lasted for a few days by now, Naki had been able to show him how to use Ja'an's mana to use in battle... And Ranma was a quick learner. Upon realizing that mana, once you manage to draw it from the earth, was similar to Ki, he easily was able to use it for his classic battle moves.

"Magical Moko Takabisha!" he yelled, while attacking some Knights with a massive burst of pure mana. Naki fought alongside him, while Uko and Ryger were busy pummeling their enemies with paw and club.

Soon enough, they managed to drive off the attackers from the small farmhouse.

"Well, that was that..." Ranma said and wiped his brow.

"Uko! Quick, fetch some water from the river we've seen from the air," Naki instructed. "Those devils have set the barn on fire!"

"Right away!" Uko shouted and took care of it.

Seeing that no resident of the farm had appeared, Naki nodded towards the main building. "Come, let's see if the farmers are still hiding... perhaps they need some more help."

Ranma and Naki ran over to the farm building. Luckily, the barn was a separate building, so the fire couldn't reach the main house easily.

Ranma opened the door and stepped into the dark room behind the door. "Hello? Anybody there?"

Suddenly, his senses warned him from an attack... Nimbly, he flipped sidewards and managed to dodge the swipe of the blade that was swooshing through the air.

"Whoa, whoa," Naki quickly shouted. "We're not your enemies... we're here to help you!"

Ranma blinked. That sword looked suspiciously like a katana... And that woman holding it...

"Mom?" he blurted out in surprise.

The red-haired woman was still on edge, but now got a look of confusion on her face. "Have we met? I don't remember seeing your face before, sir..."

Ranma shook his head. Of course... that wasn't his mother, only her counterpart from this world.

"Um... sorry, lady... You just happen to look like someone I know."

A big, bulky man appeared next to her... If he were bald, he would look exactly like Genma.

"Who are you?" he wanted to know. "Are you with the Black Devils?"

"Hey, we're the ones that managed to drive them off your land... although most of them got away. I'm Princess Naki of the Steppe Riders, and this is my friend Ranma."

"Princess... Naki?" Hope appeared on the farmer couple's faces. "Then we are saved?"

Then they yelped in surprise as the massive head of Uko appeared in a window. "Hey, I managed to put out the fire... we should all be safe now."

"Hey, Uko... don't frighten those poor people like that!" Naki scolded.

"Is she... is she harmless?" Nodoka's double asked in confusion.

Uko grinned. "Hey, as harmless as a kittycat... But if you're just surprised by looking at me, then you should take a look outside."

So the man did. "A... a dragon!" He stuttered. "A golden dragon!"

"We couldn't have done it without Shamu," Ranma explained.

"But... but there is only one golden dragon left..." the woman said.

"Yup, that's her!" Uko nodded. "Shamu."

"Hey, don't we have something better to do than to chitchat?" Ranma asked. "They aren't safe here."

"Yeah, you're right," Naki nodded. "Sir, madam... are you the only ones living on this farm or do you have any workers living here?"

"Just two maids..." the man replied. "But where are we supposed to go? This farm is all we have... we cannot leave all this behind."

"The Black Knights will come again, trust me," Naki said. "You should head for Tokoi... my sister Kasu will surely help you."

"Um, Naki..." Uko interfered. "I hate to say it, but... All those miles, on foot, with Black Knights all over the country? I don't think they stand much of a chance. Also, they would probably take a week until they reach Tokoi..."

"Then Shamu has to take them back," Naki decided. "She can join with us again after bringing... Excuse me, what's your name, sir?"

"Genner! My name is Genner, and this is my wife Norika!"

"Okay, Shamu can rejoin us after bringing Genner and his family to Tokoi. It will take us some extra time until we've reached the gorge, but I refuse to leave those people behind like this."

"Right," Ranma nodded. "Especially not right after saving their lives..."

"I'll go and ask Shamu," Uko sighed and pulled her head back outside.

In the end, Shamu agreed to bring the farmer's family to Tokoi, promising to return as soon as possible.

"I guess that means we have to continue on foot..." Ryger groaned.

"Stop whining," Naki said. "If we keep on walking, we should reach the gorge tomorrow."


End file.
